Diamonds in the Rough
by TheWhiteJewel
Summary: It's been years since Leon and Lola died and they are all but forgotten...until now. In the memory of the first Engloids a new generation has stepped up. What is their name? Vocaloid, of course.
1. Prologue: Autumn

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only. **

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

"A-achoo!"

Allen pulled his scarf up and over his nose. It was autumn, but as cold as if it were winter. He shuffled his position against the tree that supported his back, while trying to remember why he was sitting out in the cold with a dusty old sketchbook on his knees, looking at a view of grey, peeling wall.

…..

"I want you to leave this classroom with your sketchbooks and find a place within the school that inspires you. Somewhere that is special to you, anything to get those creative fires burning. Then I want you to draw whatever comes to your mind. We will meet back here in an hour."

The class (including Allen) rolled their eyes at their hopeless teacher and her desperate attempts to make art class bearable. Allen wished she would get a clue that school was a place where creativity or imagination or whatever she was going on about did not thrive.

Students fumbled with their books and headed towards the door, pleased at this chance to skip class or even skive off school together. Not that this was unusual. Half the time kids didn't bother showing up at all for Ms White's class. Everyone was wise to the fact that Ms White was a feeble woman who couldn't handle her pupils and lived in some dreamland where teenagers were willing to participate in her weak lessons exploring their individuality and 'unleashing their minds' as she often put it.

Allen stood up from his seat by the window (where his attention was usually held by the view outside) and studied his art teacher. Long, wispy grey hair that was so fine it tangled. Or that could be because of the weather. Autumn winds were lethal. He found it strange that Ms White couldn't be older than mid-twenties, yet she had a full head of silver. Bleak, pale skin surrounded a pair of sad brown eyes, which looked almost red in a certain light.

A giant, worn-through grey woollen sweater swallowed her body leaving no definable shape to her figure. Accompanying that was a long, black skirt that went past her knees. Shabby black stockings with noticeable holes covered her skinny legs, disappearing into the ancient brown lace-ups that completed the strange outfit.

Ms. White met his gaze and Allen was quick to avert his eyes. He felt almost guilty that this woman was shunned amongst the school. It's wasn't like she did anything wrong, she just didn't….fit. At least, that answer was good enough to quieten Allen's conscience as he hurried out of the room.

He didn't dare hang in the hallways in case he bumped into any prowling teachers. His excuse that it was Ms. White's fault might not go down well with them, even if they mostly blanked her too. That left Allen wondering if the woman had any friends at all. Exiting the corridor, he wondered whether he should just ditch, like most of his classmates. The chilling air gave him his answer. It would be torture to walk home in the cold, so he decided to stay. Turning, he saw a tree nearby, behind which he would be hidden from most of the school windows.

Making a beeline for the tree, Allen slid down its trunk and sprawled on the ground, kicking up a neat pile of autumn leaves as he went. He had forgotten to bring his music player and had only one measly stick of chewing gum to his name. Allen put it in his mouth, ignoring the coating of pocket-fluff that then settled on his tongue and looked around for something or someone to entertain himself with. No such luck. No-one really went around this area and the courtyard was empty. Allen felt envious of his peers; even if they were locked up in some dumb old classroom at least they were mildly warm.

Allen felt a sneeze coming on and felt disgusting that he didn't have anything to blow his snotty nose with. Sniffing as hard as he could, he glanced at the only thing in his line of vision—a big, brick wall. Allen heard Ms. White's voice in his head, telling him to find a place that inspired him. To do what exactly? Drive him over the edge and set the school on fire? He smirked at his wild fantasy, but his mood dropped soon enough when he remembered that he was sitting outside in the cold with a slab of brick to keep him company.

Then Allen tried to think of the context in a more serious sense. Inspiration. What inspiration? He couldn't think of the last time he had been inspired to do something. Provoked, maybe, but not inspired. And if he did get some burst of imagination it definitely wouldn't be at school. School was dull, slow and demoralising. The lessons all blended together and even the teachers had given up on showing much spirit.

Except for Ms White.

Maybe that was why people rejected her and her ideas. Allen pondered on this notion.

Ms. White always looked so sad, but somehow her words still sounded hopeful. She always tried to urge people to do their best and open their eyes to endless possibilities. Allen had ignored her most of the time and he certainly wasn't alone in that. Still, Ms White didn't give up on them. She thought that everyone was special in their own way. He recalled her saying once that people were unique, and that everyone had a chance to become somebody instead of just someone.

Unique? Special? Allen hadn't heard those words in a long time, but for some reason, they caused him to glow a little on the inside. Could he be special and unique too?

A hand went to his matted blonde hair, which fell past his jawline and hid his blue eyes, and he felt a crackly, amber leaf that was caught in it. He tugged at his hair to free it and the leaf fell onto his open sketchbook. The striking orange colour of the leaf bled into the white page and Allen's lips slowly parted in a small grin.

He was confused as to why he was smiling but he didn't bother questioning himself. For now he was happy, even if he had no idea why.

Placing the book on the ground, leaf intact within its pages, Allen stood back to look once again at the wall in front of him. He approached it and put his hand on the crusty grey paintwork and began to idly scratch at a loose bit, finding beneath it a shred of faded pink. Confused as to why there was a random smear of pastel colouring, Allen combed harder at the wall, and peelings of paint fell off to show mixes of pinks and blues and greens. His knuckles were coated with the remnants of the coarse overcoat.

Keeping his eyes on the wall, Allen took a couple of steps backwards, until his back met the tree. Squinting, he looked closer and detected strange shadows of some image, just visible under grey paint. He could only make out faint shapes and was puzzled as to what he was looking at.

Whatever it was, Allen needed to know more. He picked up his sketchbook and turned back to the school building, thinking madly, leaving a trail through the forest of fallen autumn leaves. He didn't even notice the cold wind on his face.


	2. Chapter 1: Double Trouble

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

"I'm home!" Allen called out at his front entrance, shutting the big door behind him. He threw his rucksack near the coat rail and listened for any response. The house stayed quiet, as he expected. Fiddling with his keys for a moment, he went up the long wooden staircase and along the hallway to his sister's open bedroom door. Peering through it, he saw the girl herself, lying back on her bed, staring intensely at her laptop computer.

"Hey," Allen said, half-expecting her not to answer.

"Hey," his sister replied dryly. She kept her eyes on the screen and did not look up at him.

"So, uh…what're you doing there?"

She blinked, "Work."

"What kind of work…?"

The girl looked up and gave him a patronising stare, eyebrows raised.

Allen grimaced, uncomfortable under her irritated gaze. He was getting desperate. It had been ages since the two had spoken to each other properly. Despite being twins, he rarely saw his sister in or out of school. He felt like an only child half the time nowadays. Ever since they'd turned into teenagers, his sister had been…distant.

She didn't say anything and there was a long pause. Allen, not sure what to do, looked around her room. They hadn't had the same room since they were little. His twin had customised her space with posters of singers and celebrities that Allen didn't recognise; her desk and bed were cluttered with unfinished school assignments and vast amounts of stationery. It was like the room belonged to a stranger. Where were all the cuddly plush toys that she used to have in every corner of the room?

"What is it, sheep-dog?" she snapped.

He flinched at the jab at the clumps of un-brushed his hair that hid his eyes and at the implied rejection of his company. His sister only called him sheep-dog when she wanted to get at him.

Two could play at that game.

"Nothing….." Allen then smiled teasingly, "….Riliane."

"Riliane" flushed a deep red, embarrassed and angry at being mocked with her real name. She made everyone call her Riley unless they desired to not keep their noses intact. She was very touchy about her unusual name as Allen knew well.

Allen saw her take a deep breath to calm herself and to stop her from losing her temper and noted that her mouth had began to twitch.

"It's RILEY, sheep-dog. Haven't you got anything better to do then annoy me?"

"Nope," Allen answered truthfully. He had forgotten how much fun it was to pester Riley. It brought back his childhood for a minute.

Riley did her routine of scrunching her nose up, a common action when she was frustrated. He could see it was getting harder and harder for Riley not to yell at him.

"Well, frankly, I have better things to do then be buzzed at by my younger brother because, unlike you, I have a life,"

If Riley had hoped that that would she would have the last word in their 'sort-of' conversation then she was wrong. Allen opened his mouth to speak again.

"Allen for the last―"

"Where's Mum?" he interrupted.

Riley blinked, put off by the sudden question. Still, this wasn't like it was any better of a subject. To Riley, this was a slap to the face.

"She's not our mother," Riley said, barely raising her voice above a whisper.

"Rile―"

"How dare you call that woman our mother? We're not even her real kids!" Riley didn't know when she started yelling, but she felt shameful tears prick her eyes and ran a hand over them in anguish.

Allen was taken aback by her outburst, but he was very familiar with it. Riley often had fights with their step-mother, Annabelle, if you could call Riley screaming and shouting while Annabelle tried to calm her down a fight. "Goddamn it. I'm sick of this," Riley managed to choke out before a sob got lodged in her throat. She hopped off her bed and slammed the door in his face.

"So am I," thought Allen.

"Riley," he said through the door, "You've got to stop treating Annabelle like this. She's our mother now and if you'd just accept that fact then we could all move on and be a family again."

"We'll never be a family with her." Riley spat. Anger still boiled in her stomach, but she was too distraught now to do more than sit in a heap by the door. Despite herself, she'd half-enjoyed the playful banter with her brother; how had it turned to this?

Burying her face in her knees, she hugged her legs as she struggled to stop crying.

Allen's tight face softened as he heard her muffled hiccups and put a hand on the oak, not sure how to comfort his upset twin.

"Riley…"

His sister was just as untouchable as the other times he had tried to reach her after their father died and their step-mother took over as their guardian.

In all the years since Riley had never accepted Annabelle.

Allen knew also that Riley had never accepted that their birth mother had left them when they were kids and gone onto a new life either. Riley didn't get over the abandonment and shunned their father when he married Annabelle just over a year before he died.

Although Riley never ever spoke about it and blanked Allen whenever he tried to bring it up, he knew that she had reacted very badly to their mother's departure.

"Just go away," said Riley.

He was reminded once again why he didn't make contact with his sister anymore and his concern turned into being plain fed-up. He hated it when Riley went into her sulks. His mum leaving and his father dying had affected him too and yet he was getting on with it, why did Riley refuse to let it go.

"Fine!" he snapped at no one, "Have a good long cry then. See if I care." He felt bitter and mean and the truth was that he did care. But that didn't mean he couldn't be mad at her.

Retreating down the stairs, he saw Annabelle halfway through the front door, juggling three paper shopping bags, one leg extended to keep it from closing on her.

She spotted the lanky teenager on the stairs and her middle-aged face lit up.

"Oh hello darlin'!" she said in her usual bubbly tone, "I didn't see you there. You couldn't give me a hand with these bags could you?"

Allen rushed to oblige and they made their way to the kitchen. Dropping the bags on the counter-top, Annabelle rolled her shoulders and flexed her muscled arms.

"They don't make these like they used to!" Annabelle joked and Allen tried to smile at her. He was still upset at how badly his first talk with Riley in weeks had turned out. The bright woman picked up on her step-son's unhappy face and bent down to his level (she never wore anything but high heels) and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"What's the matter, darl?"

Allen gently shrugged her off and turned aside to put away a jar of chilli pepper.

"It's nothing. I just talked with Riley today and…" He trailed off, arguing with himself over whether to repeat Riley's words to Annabelle.

"Shouldn't that be good? You haven't really spoken with your sister for a while now so…"

He just looked at her, his silence confirming that the talk hadn't been good. The brightness of her sunny blue eyes dimmed a little.

"Oh," she said, momentarily deflated before returning to her usual attempt to be optimistic about the situation, "I'm sure she'll come around…"

Allen snorted and, smiling briefly at the absurdity of the thought, turned to put two tubes of mustard beside the chilli pepper.

"Honey…" Annabelle appeared behind him. He turned around to face her. She gently grabbed his chin and raised it to eye-level and Allen caught a whiff of her rosy shampoo that she loved to use. It made him relax, that smell. It had helped him through some tough times.

"Honey," she said again, "Don't beat yourself up over this. Riley's a strong girl and she can take care of herself if we give her some time to adjust."

"But how long will that take? She's fourteen! She should be over this by now. It gets me so angry."

Annabelle let go of his chin and leant against the table top. Tossing a few curls over her shoulders she continued to look at him.

"I know. But you're not angry with your sister; you're sad and worried for her. I am too, and she gives me grief as well," Annabelle stopped and watched as Allen began to fiddle with a tea-towel; eyes to the floor, "Annoying as it is, this is something Riley has to do without me. She won't listen to me, but she may listen to you."

"Me? I just had a fight with her seconds before you walked through the front door! I doubt she wants to chit-chat with someone like her brother who is the reason she's holed up in her room, sulking like a four-year-old."

Allen ground his teeth and, needing some additional physical expression of his feelings, began to wring the tea towel in his hands.

"Yes, well, that probably wasn't the best move. Besides, you are often locked up in your room too, mister. I hardly see you and the rest of the time you go around with that cloudy expression on your face."

Allen scowled at her, but she merely laughed. She used her hand to brush away the hair that usually hid his eyes.

"If you just stopped hiding behind your haystack people would see how cute you were, Allen."

"No thanks." Allen replied, waving away her cool fingers. He shook his mane with the gusto of a wet dog. Annabelle giggled at the stubborn boy.

"Alright, alright! I won't touch the hair, your majesty. Still, I think you could pick up some lovely young ladies if you smiled a bit more. Ladies love a smile." Annabelle gestured towards her own beaming grin.

"I'll, uh…think about that." Allen hurriedly excused himself from the kitchen to escape more advice on how to improve his non-existent love life.

Passing Riley's door he paused for a moment, considering whether to say something or not. It was quiet on the other side. Allen kept walking and escaped into his room.

Kicking off his trainers he flung himself onto his bed, launching a bag of gummy bears into the air in the process. Allen sighed and stared at the ceiling.

His thoughts went back to Riley and how much she had changed with the things that had happened to them. At some point Riley had drifted away from him and they lost the special twin connection they used to possess.

Allen realised how little he knew about his sister now and this made him feel uneasy. Riley had become a stranger to him and Allen found that he missed her. He had almost no problems with Annabelle so why should she?

He rolled onto his side and reached down to pick up the discarded gummy bear bag, catching sight of his knuckles as he did so. Gratings of paint still coated them and Allen remembered the strange wall at school with the weird painting behind it.

Suddenly, his mind began to fill with images of that afternoon and how strange it was to find traces of the colours of the rainbow on an old block of brick wall. There wasn't a spot of colour in the rest of the school, what made that place so special?

What was on that wall?


	3. Chapter 2: The Beginning

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

In Ms White's class the next day, Allen ignored what she had to say, as usual, making half-hearted scribbles on his sketch-pad so that he looked like he was attempting to work. His mind was elsewhere, wondering about what he saw yesterday and why it was so different from the rest of the school. It was just a school with squeaky floors and stuffy classrooms. What else did it have to offer?

Could he ask Ms White about the wall?

Asking a teacher about something that wasn't: "Can I have a pencil?" or "When's lunch?" was weird to think about. And it wasn't like he had many discussions with his dopey art teacher, let alone about mysterious walls. Would she know anything anyway? That wall paint looked dated and Ms White hadn't been at the school that long, had she? Allen tried to remember when exactly she'd arrived, but his brain didn't usually pick up the low-down on his teachers. Most of the time, he couldn't care less about them and the feeling seemed to be mutual. If you kept your head down, handed in your assignments on time and didn't cause them any grief they left you alone. Both teams went home happy.

Ms White was different, Allen thought. She wasn't fussed about when you handed things in or how many facts you found. The adults didn't care as long as they got their pay check. All she cared about was originality and imagination and crap like that. She wanted ideas to "flow" off the page and to open our minds to the possibilities of creation. It made Allen's brain melt, just about.

Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to striking up a conversation with this crazed woman. On the other hand, maybe a crazy woman was what he needed here.

He was slow to get up when the final bell rang for the end of the school day, mutely packing up his stuff while the other students melted away, jabbering on about the weekend and what happened on last night's soap opera. Allen wasn't interested in that kind of stuff.

"Is everything alright, Allen?" a soft voice beckoned. Allen's eyes flicked up to meet the burgundy ones of Ms White. She was sitting at her desk, her books and bag still untouched. Did she camp out in the classroom or something? He rarely saw her out of the dingy art room.

"Uhh…" he replied intelligently. Well, at least he didn't have to start off the awkward talk with some topic like the weather or whatever.

"You seem a little distracted, is something on your mind?" Ms White asked gently.

"Uhh…" Allen said, before clearing his throat and starting again, "Uh, yeah I think there is, teach."

"Oh?" she urged, tucking a stray, silver hair behind her ear, "And just what might that be? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Allen wondered for a moment at how politely she spoke to him, as though he was really special. He was Allen, the scruffy kid with the bad haircut. No one treated him with much respect at all. This was a first.

"I'm not sure…" Allen confessed, "It's about something that I found yesterday at school, when you told us to find an area that inspired us."

"So what did you find?" Ms White leaned forward in her seat, listening.

"A wall, but not an ordinary wall," Allen wasn't sure how else to say it.

Ms White furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled, "A wall?"

"Yeah, the paint was peeling and when I scraped some of it off I saw…colours beneath it. Like pinks and blues. I'm not sure what it was exactly."

Shuffling his feet, Allen began to feel more and more like a goof with everything he said about that stupid wall. It was just a wall, why was he so damn curious about it?

Ms White just looked at him, waiting for him to say more. Allen flushed with embarrassment. Why couldn't he shut up about that damn wall?

"I…I thought it was graffiti at first, but it didn't really look like it," Allen sighed, thinking Ms White would probably think him a loony now. "It doesn't matter really, I was just…curious."

His teacher was still staring at him, the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"To tell you the truth, Allen," she said, "Yesterday, when I assigned the class to find a place that was special and inspired them, I was hoping someone would find that wall. It holds a very special meaning to the history of this school."

"The school's history? What do you mean, Miss?" He hadn't expected that answer at all.

Ms White nodded, her faint smile stretching slightly.

"Indeed. You don't realise this, Allen dear, but this school used to be a very special place."

Used to be?

"It did?" Allen replied. The woman nodded again, her lips growing further apart until they formed a soft grin that seemed to fit perfectly on her face.

"Allen, if you don't have any other engagements, would you like to come with me for a minute? I want to show you something very important."

"Er…" Allen wasn't sure how to answer. What on earth was going on in that foggy head of hers? He would never understand teachers, especially eccentric ones like Ms White, "…sure."

Ms White stood up, swinging her teacher satchel over her shoulder, walked through the door and set off down the hallway. Allen followed awkwardly, at a distance, trying to sidle unnoticed past the last students grabbing things from their lockers before making their escape. Ahead of him, Ms White swiftly turned a corner and Allen realised that they were stepping into 'no students allowed' teacher territory.

"Uh…miss?" Allen questioned, surprised at how fast Ms White was striding down the narrow hall-way, her long legs outpacing Allen's effortlessly. He managed to catch up with her, but when he appeared at her side, Ms White gave no sign that she had noticed him. She had the strangest look on her face.

They passed the staff room, where Allen caught a glimpse of teachers sharing coffee and gossiping while going through paperwork. It was a bit like seeing wild animals in their natural habitat. Ms White looked straight ahead as they went by the front office and reception. They reached the set of stairs at the end of the hallway, but instead of going up them, Ms White bent her head and went underneath. After a momentary pause, Allen joined her.

The area was small and dusty; the ascending staircase its ceiling. Ms White's eyes were keenly focused on a big framed picture hanging on the triangle of wall in front of them. Allen stared at it.

He saw two people: one, a tall man, with sun-kissed skin and light golden hair; the other, a small pale woman with short black hair. They were standing on a stage, back to back, each striking a pose and holding a top hat above their head. They were beaming at an unseen audience and seemed to radiate an electric energy.

Who were these people?

"This is Leon and Lola Lloyd," Ms White explained, answering his unspoken question, "They were the founders of this school."

"Wha―?" Oh, Lloyd High School. He was an idiot. Funny, if he'd ever thought about it, which he hadn't, Allen would have imagined the people responsible for setting up this place as wrinkly old dinosaurs with balding scalps. These jazzy young people before him looked like pop stars.

"Leon and Lola Lloyd?" Allen questioned, "Seriously, were those their real names?"

Ms White shrugged, "I don't know. It's what they were known as."

"They were amazing and a big hit as a singing duo. Then they settled down here and converted Lloyd house (the building had been in the Lloyd family for generations) into a school." Ms White's eyes sparkled. She spoke about the founders as if they were gods. Maybe in her eyes they were.

When they were first singing together here they were known as the "English-Lloyds" because of their British accents. A spelling error in a newspaper article turned them into the "Engloids." The name stuck and Leon and Lola liked it so they kept it."

Watching as she talked about Leon and Lola, Allen saw that her pale cheeks were flushed pink and her hands were trembling. He had never seen her like that.

"Miss, when you asked the students to look for inspiration, were the Eng―sorry, Leon and Lola— yours?"

Ms White looked at him for a moment before slowly nodding, "They are, so very much my inspiration, Allen. Their performances touched thousands of hearts; they created something new and fresh that we had never seen before in this town. I felt as though I could do anything when I watched them dance and sing. You should have seen them live, Allen, their act was purely magical. They wanted their school to be a magical place too."

"Wow."

Ms White chuckled at him and went so far as to ruffle his hair affectionately. Strangely, he didn't mind.

"So what's with the wall?"

"Oh!" Ms White shuffled around in her bag and pulled out a small folded picture from one of its pockets. . She handed it to Allen and he unfolded it carefully, clocking the old creases in the paper.

"This is…" Allen trailed off, his breath caught in his throat.

"Yes," Ms White nodded solemnly, "That's the wall."

The wall captured in the faded photo was a panoply of every colour Allen could possibly imagine. Splattered paint spots and blotched paint strokes crossed. Warm colours and cold colours collided. A series of musical notes trailed across it.

Right at the bottom of the photo were two cluttered people standing in front of this masterpiece, with various paint buckets and brushes at their feet. Allen recognised the couple as Leon and Lola. Surrounding them was a group of people, also covered in paint and smiling widely.

"It was a mural," explained Ms White, "painted in celebration of the opening of the school. Half the town chipped in to help."

"It's beautiful,' Allen replied truthfully, the photo shaking in his hands.

Ms White nodded again with a melancholy smile, "It was."

The teacher's eyes clouded. Allen returned the photo and she folded it up again and put it back in her bag.

"So….what happened to it? Why did it get covered?" Allen wanted to know.

She sighed and it looked like it hurt her to speak. "Leon and Lola….died in a car accident on their way back from one of their performances. New owners took over the school and the mood changed. People began to forget about them, and about how much joy and magic they had brought to the school and to the town. The years went by and no one bothered to restore the fading mural. Eventually they just covered it up."

Allen was horrified to see tears in his teacher's eyes and he wasn't sure what to do. His throat was dry.

"Did…did you ever see the mural?" asked Allen. Ms White looked uncomfortable. She reached up her sweater sleeve to pull out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. Allen pretended that he hadn't noticed her being upset; teacher's reputation and all that.

"Once," she said, sniffling delicately, "when I was much younger."

"Did you take the photo?"

"Oh no," Ms White had a faraway look in her eye, "A…friend gave it to me."

Allen somehow knew not to question any further and sheepishly pocketed his hands in his slacks. The silence grew heavy, but he didn't know what to say anymore.

"Well, that's that," said Ms White. "I know it's silly to talk about it now, seeing as Leon and Lola are long gone. I doubt even the teachers remember them. But I do. They really were spectacular, Allen, so much so that you probably couldn't even understand."

"I think I understand," Allen said, thinking it over, "I wish I could've seen them."

Ms White turned to look at him, "Me too, Allen, me too."

Allen bit his lip, and gazed up at the framed picture again. Leon and Lola beamed down at him. It gave him a warm feeling in his stomach and he wasn't sure why.

"You know, Allen," Ms White cut into his thoughts, "I'm glad it was you who found the mural."

"Me?" Allen exclaimed, spinning around to see her kind brown eyes on him. "Why me?"

Ms White put a fragile hand on his shoulder and lowered her voice.

"Because Allen," she explained, "I think deep inside yourself you've got the special stuff that Leon and Lola had."


	4. Chapter 3: Making a Splash

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

So, he found out what the wall was…and a lot of other information that he hadn't planned on knowing. Allen wasn't sure where to go from there.

Maybe that's why he was back at the wall, staring at the grey shadow that covered the most beautiful thing Allen had seen in his life. Not just because of the colours and art, but the story and the people behind it. He couldn't get Leon and Lola Lloyd (or their stage names, 'Engloids') out of his head.

And then, of course, there was Ms White saying that he shared the same 'stuff' as two of the most important people in the town had. Just thinking about it gave him goose-bumps. Allen wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He hadn't done anything meaningful or special in his life. He didn't win things in school assemblies and he couldn't remember the last time someone had congratulated him for something he had done. He wasn't good at much and as a student his grades were average.

It's not like anything was wrong with him, it's was just that no one had ever really thought him to be all that great. Except for Ms White, that is. He couldn't sleep at night thanks to her and her wacked- up ideas of him being something more than another kid caught in the crowd.

Allen had never thought this much about himself in his life. Now, thanks to Leon and Lola, he wanted to do SOMETHING about his life. But the more he thought about it, the less of a clue he had about what exactly he WAS gonna do.

Resting again under the autumn tree, he closed his eyes to picture in his mind the faded photo of the mural and let the sound of the wind in the leaves drone out his jumbled thoughts.

He felt an itch.

Allen ignored it, still unconscious.

He felt the itch again.

He was still asleeeeeeeeep.

Itch.

No problem, slightly annoying, but no problem.

Double itch.

Okay, still sleeping…

ITCH.

Sleeeeeeep.

MEGA UBER-ITCH.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Allen screamed, flailing his arms and almost choking on something crunchy and dry. He coughed and realised a whole pile of leaves had covered his body while he had been asleep. The crunchy dryness in his mouth was the remnants of one. He scrambled out of the itch-fest of scratchy leaves and stood up, spitting out flecks of leaf.

Then he realised that the sun was way more in the west then when he had first gotten to the wall. It was late and he had slept through at least all of lunch and possibly the end of school all together.

Well CRAP, Allen thought, and so was the stale taste inside his mouth. He had to get rid of the leafy flavour before he could concentrate on what to do next. And on what to say to Annabelle when she found out that he had skipped class.

So he made his way to the closest bubblers, near the school pool.

And, out of the blue, saw a girl there.

Okay, he had seen girls before. He went to a co-ed school for crying out loud. He lived with two of them. But something about this girl made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

She was standing about thirty feet away on the edge of the pool. Allen glanced at the sky which was pink thanks to the sun setting. It had to be past five; the school should be deserted apart from the odd teacher locked up in their office. But no, there was a girl wearing a plain one-piece swimsuit who looked around his age, staring down at the pool.

Suddenly, she dived neatly into the water, barely making a splash. Allen blinked, thinking maybe he had imagined her.

….

She wasn't coming up.

The next thing he knew he was jumping fully clothed into the pool before he realised that he could swim just about as much as a drowned cat.

CRAP.

He panicked and started swallowing water as he tried in vain to stay afloat. His head kept sinking into the cold, unforgiving water. His head kept sinking into the cold, unforgiving water, blurring his vision. Allen tried to shout, but there was too much of the pool in his mouth to do so much as gurgle.

Hands came up under his armpits and he felt air returning to his lungs. He was pulled across the pool until he managed to blindly find the tiled ledge. Allen heaved himself up and fell back onto the concrete, gasping. He rubbed at his chlorine-filled eyes and saw a faint figure standing over him. He sat up instantly and tried to say something, but felt the water still stuck in his throat.

"Allow me," said a voice, a second before a firm hand thumped him in the back. The last remains of water rocketed up and out of his mouth. He rubbed his throat.

"T-thanks," he said, turning towards the girl who had jumped in the pool.

"Don't mention it, and sorry about hitting you," she replied, wringing her hair out. "Just what were you doing exactly?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

The girl looked at him and sighed. "I was trying to hold my breath."

"Why?" Allen was startled.

She looked a little exasperated.

"I….needed to think," she said, blushing.

"At the bottom of the pool?"

"It's my place," the girl confessed. She pushed some wet hair out of her face and Allen caught a glimpse of her impossibly-blue eyes. "It's where I go when I need to think about things."

Allen could relate to that, at least. He had opened his mouth to talk again when―

"A-ACHOO!"

Funny how they had both forgotten that Allen was dripping wet in his clothes.

"Oh, geez! We need to get you out of those clothes!" There was a pause before the girl's face went red as she realised what she had just said.

Be my guest, Allen wanted to say, but he wasn't that bold.

They ended up ransacking Allen's gym locker for his PE uniform. It was better than nothing. On his way out, he saw a towel rack near the boys' showers and grabbed two towels before stepping outside.

He found swimming-girl waiting outside the boy's changing room. She had found the time to change back into her clothes….except her hair was still very, very wet.

"Here," Allen caught her attention and chucked a towel at her. She silently began to dry her wet hair. He rubbed at his own, feeling its natural matted-ness returning. When his hair got wet, it was so thick that it got really heavy. He didn't mind the fact that now it was sticking up at weird angles. It wasn't far from his original look.

He sat down on a bench and waited for her to finish mopping herself. She plopped down next to him, letting her towel rest on her shoulder. She looked at him.

"So, back to my question, what were YOU doing at the school at five in the afternoon?" she asked, her bluey-green eyes staring into his. It made the hairs on his neck stand up again.

To break the uncomfortable gaze between them he grabbed a handful of his sodden school shirt and twisted the water out as hard as he could. "Would you believe me if I said I fell asleep under a tree an, woke up under a pile of leaves and missed two classes and my bus ride home?"

And to his horror, she began to laugh.

At him.

Quite loudly.

"Seriously?" she said between giggles, "Seriously?"

"Yeah..." Great job, Allen. Way to make the girl you think you're a total idiot. Which he was, but he didn't want swimming-girl to know that.

"Sorry, I'm not deliberately laughing at you, I swear." Swimming-girl bit her lip to stop laughing, "But that's just so funny." She had her hand over her mouth now, apparently trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle her giggles.

"You think?" Allen felt his ears burn.

"Well, yeah! Just who in the world does that?"

"Apparently me. Sorry you had to rescue a loser," Allen hid behind his hair, not wanting to see those cerulean eyes of hers again. Cerulean? Where had THAT word come from? Just what was this girl doing to him?

"It's not your fault you thought I had a death wish," she reminded him. Allen didn't answer her. An awkward silence followed and he felt like more of a screw-up than ever.

The girl swung to her feet, the movement cutting through the tension in the air.

"You must be Buddha or something," she suggested, "camping under a tree, searching for enlightenment,"

Allen lifted his head and met her eyes. The two looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing together.

It felt good to laugh again and especially with such a gorgeo―nice girl. The tense knots in his chest untangled and Allen got a rush of confusing but pleasant sensations.

"I'm Allen, by the way," he said bravely, as their laughing fit slowed.

"I'm―"

A loud buzzing noise interrupted her and a tinkly tune rose from her jean pocket. The girl opened her mobile phone and gasped as she read the small window of text on the screen.

"I gotta get going! It's so late and my family's wondering where I am." She pocketed her phone and began to rush towards the back door of the gym.

"Wait a second!" Allen stood up but she was surprisingly fast and he could only watch her run towards the door.

"I didn't get your name!" he called out.

He almost thought she wouldn't answer, but she quickly turned around to shyly smile at him.

"Michaela!" she shouted before sprinting out of the gym.

"Michaela," Allen repeated quietly to himself. A goofy smile came to his face and his insides felt all warm and gooey.

Strange.

Then he too remembered he had his own family to get home to and one woman who wouldn't be too happy when he got there.

He ran for it.

"Well? What's your explanation then?"

Okay. His step-mum didn't get angry often. She usually kept a calm composure about her. This was new for Allen, seeing Annabelle stern-faced, hands on hips. Allen faintly remembered his father saying something about when women put their hands on their hips, it was a sign that they meant business. He believed every inch of that statement and wished he didn't.

But Allen didn't bother considering the possibility of making up some elaborate excuse about why he was late and just came out with it. Plus he'd had to walk forty minutes to get home and he was a little breathless. He wasn't the most athletic of boys.

"I fell asleep under a tree."

Annabelle's mouth twitched and it looked like she was struggling to not smile, "…..like Buddha?"

Funny—now two women thought he was searching for enlightenment, whatever that meant.

"No. I was just…thinking about some stuff and I fell asleep. No one found me and I woke up when the whole school had practically left," Allen tried to see if Annabelle was believing him or not but her eyes were elsewhere.

"What happened to your hair?" Annabelle still had her adult face on, but it was slipping fast. His step-mum wasn't the type to stay angry for long.

Parts of Allen's hair were still wet from the pool— he'd forgotten about it. "Nothing!" he said hastily, backing away from her. Annabelle managed to stop him and feel the top of his head.

"It's all damp. Did you fall into a lake?" Annabelle had gone full maternal, her face giving away how concerned she was. For all he knew, she could be checking for bleeding wounds or something.

"Something like that, I need to go, uh…" Allen was never really good at lying. And the last person he could lie to was Annabelle. It was time to flee in this fight or flight situation. But he was on the scrawny side and Annabelle was big and buff. Plus she still had her killer heels on that could easily break every bone in his foot if it happened to step on him.

"Just why on earth are you so wet? And why are you wearing your PE uniform?"

"I, uh…half-drowned in the school pool."

"The pool?" Annabelle looked alarmed, "but Allen you can't swim!"

Allen grimaced. "A girl saved me….after I tried to save her." Ouch. That sounded so much better in his head.

"A girl?" Annabelle was suddenly brimming with bubbly curiosity and Allen knew it. He was caught.

"Yeah…I thought she was in trouble and I was already in the water before I remembered I couldn't swim at all. So she saved me. Then I changed into this," Allen gestured to his PE shirt, "and came home. Took me a while since the buses had already gone."

"Did you talk to her?"

"What?" Allen was expecting Annabelle to scold him about missing the buses, not this.

"The girl who saved you, honey!" Annabelle was still holding onto his shoulders and began to shake them. "Was she cute?"

Escaping to his room seemed like a really good idea but Annabelle could have an iron grip when she wanted to. "I, uh, uhm, what? No, she was just, I don't know. Why are we talking about this?"

"Oh, don't get embarrassed honey! I'm your mother, we live for this stuff."

If only he had a hole to crawl into.

"Her name's…Michaela."

"Michaela," Annabelle said, tasting the word on her tongue, "What a beautiful name."

"I know―uh!" Allen stopped himself from staying something stupid.

Annabelle caught his eye and raised an eyebrow, smirking. She had heard enough.

"….never mind. Can I go now?" Allen was desperate to hide under his bed covers and never resurface again. His face felt very hot.

"Sure, honey," Annabelle let go of him, looking positively elated.

He nodded at her briefly before dashing up the stairs only to find Riley standing in her doorway, waiting for him.

"What do you want?" Allen said, slightly peeved after his exasperating conversation with their step-mother.

"Heard about Michaela," Riley replied vaguely, looking at the carpet as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"How? Were you spying on me?" Allen questioned.

His twin jabbed a thumb in the direction of the staircase, "Hard not to hear you since your voices echo from the kitchen up to my room."

Allen paused, frowning at her before answering, "Do you know her? Michaela." He tried not to sound too desperate.

Riley nodded, "She's sixteen, quiet but not shy. Figure she just doesn't want to talk to people much. No one knows that much about her. She's a good swimmer but hasn't joined the school swim team. It's rumoured that she swims in the school pool when everyone else goes home. Guess that turned out to be true, from what you said."

"….you turned out to be quite the gossip queen," Allen remarked, half sarcastic, half impressed.

Riley looked proud, "I get around. So, you like her, this Michaela chick?"

He broke out into a cold sweat. Why was it that the women he knew asked so many questions? "I don't know. I don't know _her_."

"Pretty though?" Riley asked, looking mischievous.

Allen swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat, "I suppose so. I was a little pre-occupied being drenched and all."

"That's just like you." She rolled her eyes. For a second, Allen thought she looked like she was going to laugh. But before he could check, his twin was already heading back inside her bedroom.

"Hey, Riley," he took a step forward, making her stop. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah?"

"…thanks for talking to me. I know I'm not exactly your favourite brother."

She looked slightly startled but happy, "You're my only brother, stupid," she rolled her eyes, "You're as good as you'll ever be."

Allen grinned, feeling relieved. It felt brilliant to talk to Riley again without her trying to rip his head off or something.

She sounded like she was being….nice for once. "And Allen?"

"What is it?"

"I think you could be like Leon and Lola too."


	5. Chapter 4: Singing in the Leaves

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

"You're sure that you want this squirt?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He can complete the set. We have a line-up."

"But you don't even know if the boy can sing."

"He can. He has the heart."

"Heart has nothing to do with it, Clare."

"But his sister―"

"I know, she told me too. But that doesn't mean that this…this KID will make a difference. You don't know what could happen."

"You're right, Nerissa, I don't. But I can still hope these 'kids' WILL make a difference; just like the Engloidsdid."

Ms White studied the worn photo with a distant smile on her face as she gazed upon Leon and Lola standing infront of their mural. She had seen this picture a thousand times but it stayed as fresh as the day it was taken, in her head.

"Just you wait," said Ms White softly to herself, "These kids are going to make things change for the better."

"…len"

"All….en"

"Nnngh?" Allen blearily opened one eye and saw Ms White infront of him.

"Allen? Are you awake?" she asked. He had fallen asleep at his desk.

Again.

For the third time that week.

Allen sat up, not fully conscious as Ms White looked at him with worry.

"Sorry, Miss, I did it again," he slurred, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

His teacher nodded, "Are you having trouble sleeping, Allen? Is something going on at home?"

I'll say, Allen thought to himself, my twin sister somehow found out about Leon and Lola and about how Ms White thought of him to be like them. It unsettled him enough when Ms White said it, it was plain uncomfortable when Riley had repeated it to his face.

And how the heck had she known, anyway? As far he knew, Riley was just as unenthusiastic about history as he was. Well, up until recently. He found it way cool that the school's original owners used to be idols.

That is, until everyone forgot about them.

"Are you alright, Allen?"

Well, almost everyone.

"I guess," Allen said, "Thoughts just keeping me up at night, Miss."

Ms White's face tightened, "Are you having nightmares about Leon and Lola?"

"What!" Allen was once again off-put by the strange things that his art teacher said.

"You're not?" she tilted her head to the side in question.

"No! Why would I?" Allen exclaimed. He was so muddled up.

"I….I just wanted to make sure that you weren't unsettled by what I told you. It shook a number of people when it happened."

"Did you get shaken up? I mean, is that why you asked if I had nightmares, because you had them?" Allen didn't know where these questions were coming from. Maybe they were some of the thoughts that had been building up over the past week and they just needed somewhere to escape. He managed to shut his mouth long enough for her to reply.

Shaking her head, Ms White explained, "Not really. I only knew them for a short while before they died. One concert was all it was for them to touch my heart…"

Her face fell, "If only I had had the courage to talk to them. I was so young when they died, but it didn't scar me the way it scarred…" She bit her lip, looking uncertain, "…my friend."

"Was this the same friend who gave you the picture of the mural?" Allen recalled her saying something about it when they were discussing the wall.

She nodded, surprised he had remembered, "That's right. It affected her so badly that I wanted to check it hadn't hurt you too."

"But why would it hurt me so badly?" Allen wanted to know, "I mean, sure, it was sad to hear in some parts but most of Leon and Lola's story was great. Besides, I didn't even know them up until a couple of days ago."

He watched as Ms White swivelled her eyes up to the ceiling, taking in what he said.

"I suppose you're right, I'm sorry I asked," apologised Ms White.

A silence fell upon them and Ms White fished the mural photo out of her bag.

"Here," she said, presenting it to him, "I think it's time you have this, Allen."

"What?"

"You should have it," Ms White said firmly, "to remind you of them and what you could be,"

Nearly trembling; Allen took the photo. It tingled against his fingertips.

"M-Miss―"

The second bell rang through the room, signalling that if Allen didn't get a move on, he'd be late for class.

Ack! Once again, Leon and Lola had to cause him problems with his education. Without saying another word Allen bolted out of the classroom, barely managing to grab his stuff and carefully stash the picture in his pocket, speeding down the corridor, already knowing that he was horribly late.

He had to squish these Leon and Lola thoughts in the mud before it did things to his head. Allen had no idea why he was so taken by Ms White's story. It would seem so silly to anybody else.

But it wasn't to him. It meant something to Allen even if he wasn't sure why yet.

Which made him wonder, were there other people who still cared about Leon and Lola besides him and Ms White?

…and what did Riley have to do with it?

After going through a blur of the rest of the day, Allen was exhausted from school and even more so from his never-ending thoughts about Leon and Lola. It had such a huge impact on him and it made his heart pound imagining himself on stage infront of hundreds of people and performing for them. The fact that Leon and Lola did that multiple times in their short lifetime felt unreal. Allen hadn't thought or cared about anything for so long until he heard Leon and Lola's story. He craved more, wanting to be a part of it. But his pondering always stopped at what exact part he wanted to play in their story.

Yet another reason why he couldn't sleep.

He somehow found his way to the back of the school courtyard where the wall stood. Allen ran his hand over the ragged old paint and used his knuckles to brush some of it away, revealing the faded colours that once stood proud many years ago. It had a melancholy feel to it, almost poetic really. As if you had the heart to peel off the grimy covers of something, you would find a beautiful treasure beneath it.

Great, on top of everything else, now he was going soft too. Allen couldn't help but wonder whether the metaphor could apply to life and the people in it. He took out the photo of the mural that Ms White had given him and held it up to his face; comparing it with its cold, dead counterpart.

Comforting and exciting.

Alien and lifeless.

Allen shook his head, imagining Leon and Lola rolling in their graves if they knew what had happened to their creation. He spent the next couple of minutes examining each and every one of the peoples' faces, all happy and messy and covered in splodges of paint.

It looked like it was such a simple and fun time and Allen felt envious that he wasn't a part of it. The teenager had really begun to admire the lively couple just like Ms White did.

Hmm….he wondered.

Steadily getting to his feet he looked at the photograph one more time before safely tucking it away. Allen's lips twitched and began to hum, striking up a melody. Shifting from one foot to the other, he listened to the phantom music playing in his head. Before he knew it he was singing softly, muttering under his breath, picking up the tune. His voice was croaky and dry but it felt….good, somehow.

As he was getting the hang of it, even if he was only singing 'Da Da Da' over and over again, he bravely raised his voice and sang as loud as he could to the empty courtyard; the wall. Allen started to dance; going so far as to run up to the maple tree and twirl around it like it were a light-post in _Singing in the Rain_. It was thrilling; singing out in the open, Allen wondered why he hadn't done it sooner.

Allen let his mind go; relishing the way singing and dancing felt inside him and was now practically shouting out loud. The birds, frightened by the rumpus, had left in a flurry of feathers and it was just Allen and the mural that used to be. He saw it again as he was spinning around the tree and got an idea.

He took a mad dash away from the tree, right towards the wall before springing up off the ground and kicking off from the brick wall in some attempt to present a cool move. However, Allen's foot slipped and he fell onto the hard ground. Winded and bruised, Allen sat up, rubbing his sore head. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and adrenaline seeping through his veins.

Never in his life had he done something like that. He hadn't known it could be so exhilarating.

"Allen?"

He jolted at the sudden voice and turned to see Ms White with her eyes wide, staring at him. Allen's face flushed red, being caught in such an embarrassing situation. She hadn't seen him fall had she?

"Um," Allen mumbled; his voice still husky from the strained singing, "Hi, miss."

Ms White only looked bewildered for a moment before her face became fond and gentle, much like the art teacher he knew.

"You, Allen," she stated, "definitely have what Leon and Lola did."

"W-was that why you gave me their photo?" Allen asked. Oh wait! The photo! He quickly fumbled in his pockets and pulled out the old picture. Thankfully it was still intact and hadn't been wrecked by his fall.

"Mostly. But I also knew you wanted the picture, even if you didn't say anything," Ms White said with a knowing look in her eye.

Whoops.

"I…I just," he stuttered, "I wanted to be like them." He felt ashamed. Allen hoped Ms White hadn't given him the picture out of pity.

"I know. That's why I wanted you to have it," Ms White walked towards him and crouched down beside him, "because I believe you can be like them. Your little spectacle here proves that."

A wave of hope rushed inside of him but Allen was still doubtful. And he was still blushing madly.

"But why? Why me?" he wanted to know.

"You proved to me in just a short couple of days that you have more spirit than most of the kids in this entire school. Even if you don't know it yet I really do believe you can achieve great things, Allen.

"Not very many people would care about the wall the way you do," she continued, "Not very many people would have come to a teacher like me and ask about it. And not very many people would be singing and dancing and prancing like their life depended on it around an empty courtyard."

Almost empty, Allen said in his head.

Allen bit his lip, thinking, "So what do you think I should do?"

Ms White had an expression that seemed to say that that was exactly what she wanted to hear. She stood up and offered her hand down to him, still sprawled on the ground.

"Come with me," she said simply.

"Is this the place?" Allen asked uncertainly. He and Ms White were standing outside what looked like a small closed down shop.

"It is indeed," said Ms White, countering him with a confident voice.

"But this shop or whatever looks closed," he pointed out; placing a hand on the old glass walls, the inside of the building was empty. Ms White shook her head, still looking sure of herself.

"You're looking in the wrong place, Allen." Ms White walked a few paces away from him and opened a door that led down to a set of carpeted stairs, "This is the place."

Anxious, Allen stepped forward and looked down at the dark staircase. He looked over his shoulder to Ms White who reassuringly nodded at him. He gulped and made his way down the stairs, Ms White following him, shutting the door behind her.

There was no light-switch on the stairs so Allen and Ms White was caught in the dark, the only sound being their shoes on the steps echoing off the narrow walls. He then spotted a distant light where the staircase led off to and followed it.

They stepped into a room and the first thing Allen noticed were all the sorts of costumes that you would buy for Halloween hanging in every corner. Pirates and princesses, vampires and werewolves; every possible attire he could imagine. A feather boa was lying at his feet, abandoned with half its feathers missing. What on earth was this place?

"You brought me to a costume shop?" Allen asked in disbelief, turning to Ms White. She shrugged, but her cheeks were pink.

A girl with a blonde ponytail was slouching behind a counter, texting intensly. Her eyes briefly met Allen's with a look of indifference on her face. She raised her head and called out: "They're here," in a bored voice.

A person popped out of an archway to the side of the counter, the only door being a curtain of jangly, purple beads. When she caught sight of Allen, the girl squealed, her ringlet hair bouncing on her shoulders and madly dashed back through the archway again, the purple beads getting thrown all over the place.

When the excitable woman appeared again she brought with her a boy and girl, both looking older than Allen and behind them a very familiar figure.

"Riley?!"

Riley had stepped out and neatly settled herself down on the counter-top. Ponytail-girl didn't even blink.

" 'sup little brother," his twin said, greeting him casually.

"Why are you here?" Allen yelped, hardly being able to move his mouth, he was in such shock.

Riley swung her legs out in the air, "same reason as you."

"I―"

"Oh dear, have we missed the party?"

Allen spun around to see Annabelle, his step-mother stride into the room with another girl in tow, her bluish-green eyes keenly directed at the baffled teenager.

"Hello, Allen," said Michaela.


	6. Chapter 5: Trip to the Past

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

Allen didn't know where to look. He didn't even know where to start. His sister, his step-mother and a girl that may or may not have been entering his midnight dreams were all standing in the same room.

"What is _she _doing here?" Riley asked in a cold voice. Her eyes were on Annabelle.

"Hello, dear," Annabelle greeted, looking a little nervous, "How have you been?"

Riley's eyes flickered, her face tight. She turned sideways to look at the blonde girl at the counter who was still texting. Who looked up at Riley.

"What did I do?"

"You didn't say that this _woman_," Riley pointed at Annabelle, "was going to be here."

Counter-girl rolled her eyes, " 's not my problem. Get over yourself."

"But―!"

"Umm," Allen interrupted, "could someone please explain to me just what exactly is going on here?"

Everyone stared at him as if they'd forgotten he was even there. Counter girl shot a look at Riley as if saying to cool it. Riley folded her arms and sighed, obviously annoyed.

A comforting hand was on his shoulder, "It's alright, Allen," Ms White assured him, "Everything will be explained to you in a moment." She moved her arm in a wide gesture around the length of the room.

"This is the loids' secret base. And these people are the other loids."

"Technically only three of you are loids, and the third person isn't even here," counter-girl reminded Ms White.

She nodded. "The rest are loids-in-training— including you, Allen, if you accept."

Allen's breath caught in his throat. "Are you serious?!" he choked.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this. You were chosen for a reason."

"We all have some connection to Leon and Lola Lloyd, or the first Engloids as other people know them," a brunette girl spoke up. She had been one of the people who came out of the room with Riley. "That's why Sweet, Clare, Nerissa and Miriam picked us."

"Who are those people?" Allen was now rubbing his temples.

"Even though I'm not officially a loid yet, I'm known as Sweet Ann, dear," Annabelle explained, beaming at him.

"I wonder why?" counter girl remarked, sarcastically.

"And my loid alias is Haku," Ms White said pointing to herself, "although I'm known as Clare White to most people."

"Uh huh…" Allen didn't know what else to say.

"Little miss sunshine over here is Nerissa," Riley said, steering the attention to counter-girl.

Allen's eyes searched the room for the people who were left, "So who is Miriam?" His eyes fell on the bouncy girl with strange wine-coloured hair.

"Oh no, I'm not Miriam!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her face. "My name is Chartette but that's like, _so _old fashioned so people call me Teto, which is also my alias!"

"I see. But I'm still confused. What do you mean by 'loid-in-training'?"

"After Leon and Lola were gone and people began to lose interest, a woman named Miriam tried to resurrect the loid community and continue the legacy."

"And this is it?" Allen felt like he was starting to get it…

"This is it. For the longest time, we didn't have enough people to start a new loid group."

Riley, Michaela and the two other kids looked proud.

"That is," Ms White continued, "until now. Miriam managed to find Kyle and Meckenzie pretty quickly."

"Meckenzie?" Nerissa snickered, her eyebrows raised, "your name is actually Meckenzie?"

Meckenzie scowled at her. "Shut it, blondie; it was either that, or Germaine," she snapped.

The boy (whom Allen presumed was Kyle) giggled. Allen saw Meckenzie punch him in the arm.

"So then Nerissa and I found Michaela and finally you and your sister Riley."

Michaela smiled bashfully at Allen, "I didn't realise it was you that was going to be a part of the loid group when we met. If I'd known I would've said something!"

"Yeah and maybe someone else should've said something too," Riley growled, still looking upset. Annabelle's grin wavered. Teto put a hand on her arm in support.

Both were silent.

"So what now?" Meckenzie cut in to the awkward silence, "where exactly do we go from here?"

"Good question. It seems Miriam can't be with us today so I guess Teto, Nerissa and I will have to take responsibility," said Ms White. "You all know the story about Leon and Lola and what a shame it was that the town forgot them so soon after they passed—as if they had never existed. Well now is the time to stand up and get people to remember the Lloyds and what they stood for."

"And how do we do that?" Kyle asked.

Ms White and Teto exchanged glances. "You sing. All of you will sing. You will be the new loids and will perform to the people of this town and make them remember how things used to be."

She had a glint in her eye and her words sent chills down Allen's spine. He felt goose-bumps on his arms.

"But I can't even sing!" Just the thought of it made Allen's knees knock together.

"Yes you can, Allen," Ms White said smoothly, "You can. I saw you today in the courtyard. You have the stuff, trust me."

"What were you doing in the courtyard?" Riley asked, looking suspicious.

Allen chose to ignore her.

"Listen, Allen," Ms White went on, "I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. That's the last thing I want. But you have a major opportunity here. You can be that someone you want to I've always tried to tell you and the other students—strive to be the best you can be."

Allen's mouth was dry. He swallowed, but didn't say anything. Ms White gave him a look that meant she understood.

"And what about the rest of you then?" Teto piped up, the tiny woman turning to Michaela and Riley. "Kyle and Meckenzie have already joined so what about you?"

"I'll join!" Michaela said instantly, "It sounds like heaps of fun!"

Annabelle (or Sweet Ann, Allen wasn't sure what to call her) looked pleased.

"And what about you Riley?" Annabelle asked, carefully choosing her words.

Riley didn't look at her.

"I'll join," she mumbled, "but I'm not joining for you. I'm doing this for myself." And with that, she hopped off the counter-top.

Annabelle appeared to be having mixed feelings—happy that Riley had joined and sad because she still wasn't talking to her.

"Alright!" Teto cried, so excited that her ringlets did a dance on her shoulders, "we have our teams!"

"Speaking of teams," Meckenzie said, "Miriam told me that there were going to be two groups of loids: child and adult."

"That's right!" confirmed Teto, looking positively ecstatic, "Miriam, Sweet, Clare and I decided that Miriam would be hosting the adult group and Clare and Nerissa would be hosting the child group. I will shift between groups."

"So what are the groups?" Kyle asked.

"Sweet will be going into the adult group while every other loid-in-training we have at the moment will be put in the child group, including you and Meckenzie."

"What?!" Meckenzie shouted, slamming her fist down on the counter-top hard enough to make everyone in the room jump. "You said Kyle and I would be in the adult group! You can't change that!"

"W-well, uh…" Teto didn't seem up to solving conflicts so Annabelle took over.

"That was originally the plan, dear, when you and Kyle signed up. But now that we have more people around your age it would make sense for you to stay in the child group as neither of you are eighteen yet. The adult group will be reserved for people out of school."

"You're leaving us with these….these kids?" Meckenzie hissed through her teeth.

"We're not kids!" Riley argued, "Allen and I are fourteen, nearly fifteen."

"And I'm sixteen," Michaela put in.

"Calm down, will you?" Kyle went up to Meckenzie and gently laid a hand on her back, "Teto and the others aren't insulting you. Besides we can sort of be the top-dogs of the kiddie group and boss them around or whatever." He smiled encouragingly at her.

"Over my dead body," Riley said under her breath.

Meckenzie shrugged him off, chewing at a bit of her lip.

"Fine," she said eventually, "I'll be in the child group." She directed her next words at Nerissa and Ms White, "But if you try to degrade me by treating me like a kid then I'm leaving. Am I clear?"

"Crystal. So are we good now?" Nerissa sounded bored, "any more dramatic temper tantrums we need to get off our chests?"

Riley and Meckenzie blushed, eyes to the floor.

"No? Good," Nerissa thrust her phone in Allen's direction, "when you make up your mind about joining the loids, let us know alright?"

"R-right…." He felt very uncomfortable under Nerissa's glare, "gotcha."

Ms White and Annabelle simultaneously ruffled his hair.

Allen lay awake in his bed, constantly tossing and turning, unable to rest. Holding his weight on his elbow, he glanced at his alarm clock to see the time. The green digital numbers said it was one in the morning. Allen groaned and fell back onto his bed groaning.

He was never going to get to sleep. Not after what he had just heard that day. There was a nervous pit in his stomach and his palms were sweaty. Images of being on stage in front of people and singing….just made him want to throw up.

He couldn't do something like that. He couldn't even sing.

So why hadn't he said no straight out when he had the chance?

Was he missing something here?

Allen dragged his fingers through his hair, as he always did when nervous. His sheets were all twisted from his wriggling and Allen tossed them off, sitting up. On his bedside table was the mural photo that Ms White had given him. He picked it up.

He had looked at this picture countless times since he got it. It soothed his tangled thoughts for a moment. Lying back on his bed again, Allen examined the picture, imagining how it must have felt to be a part of making something so beautiful. There was an ache in Allen's heart, a desperate longing to be there with these colourful people. His life was grey and dull and he couldn't think of when it hadn't been.

Like a spell, Allen felt his eyelids grow heavy and he was lulled into sleep, the picture still in his hand.

…..

_"….but they had strayed too far into Alice's Wonderland. They were never woken up from their terrifying dream. Forever they would wander in this twisted fairytale,"Allen's dad read before closing the book up. Allen and Riley were wriggling on the spot, engrossed in their bedtime story. _

_"I don't understand why you read them that morbid book," Allen's mother said, shaking her head, disapprovingly, "It'll give the kids nightmares."_

_"Of course it won't!" Allen's dad claimed, and turned to his children, "will it, kids?"_

_"No!" Allen and Riley chorused, excited and clapping their hands. _

_Riley continued, "I like it! With the queen who became like a zombie―"_

_"Well I like the warrior!" Allen cut her off, "Slashing everybody with her sword!"_

_Allen's mother looked at their father, "you see what you've done? They'll never get to bed now."_

_"Hey, Mum, Mum!" Riley tugged on her mother's hand, staring up at her pleadingly. "Can we sing the story for you?"_

_"Sing?" Their mother looked bewildered and checked to see if her husband had anything to do with it. He just grinned, mischievously. "I suppose so…."_

_"Yay!" Riley cheered, dashing back to her brother and wrapping a red blanket from off her bed around her shoulders like a cape. _

_"I'll be the first Alice," Riley declared and Allen knew there was no point in arguing with her; she always got her way. He nodded. _

_Riley grinned and found the eyes of her captive audience. _

_"Alice Human Sacrifice!" she roared, announcing the title. _

_Allen's mother once again glanced at his father. _

_"You could have just bought the Lewis Caroll children's novel, but _no _you had to get the gory, gothic nursery book!" she whispered fiercely. _

_"But they wouldn't have enjoyed the nice version nearly as much, now would they?" he countered, and she shut up. _

_"Dad, can you read the beginning for us?" Riley asked. _

_Their father paused, but decided to ignore his wife's raised eyebrow._

_"Of course, Riley," he said, opening the book once again as his happy children beamed at him. Their mother plopped down on Riley's bed, folding her arms with a sigh. _

_Allen and Riley's father read:_

_"Somewhere, there was a tiny dream. Such a tiny dream it was,  
No one knew who had dreamt it. The tiny dream began to think.  
'I don't want to disappear this way.  
How can I make people dream of me?'  
The tiny dream thought and thought, and then came up with an idea.  
'I'll make humans get lost in me, and let them create the world'," _

_Allen watched as his bold twin struck a heroic pose and began to sing. _

_"The first Alice was a wrathful woman of the Spade, and righteously she held a sharpened sword within her hand," Riley gestured, swinging her fist above her head as a phantom sword and she continued._

_"Never hesitating to slay all within her way, creating paths of blood that followed her through Wonderland," she boomed, stabbing one of her many plush toys in its furry little heart. _

_"Deep into the darkened forest, Alice walked the line. Captured and imprisoned as an embodiment of sin. If it were not for the murderous wake left behind, no one would have suspected she had ever been." Riley crept under her bed, disappearing into the shadows. _

_Allen jumped up, ready to sing his bit. He wasn't quite as overbearing as his sister but still he tried his best to put on a good show for his parents. _

_"The second Alice was a fragile man of the Diamond," he began with an attempt at a low voice that made his hidden twin giggle, "the broken echo of the lies within demented words."_

_"He sang his twisted melodies to all in Wonderland; creating the image of the sick and the disturbed," _

_Allen went on, as Riley crept out from under the bed and stood behind him. _

_"Deadly yet so beautiful, a voice just like a rose was shot by a madman who silenced him to death."_

_Riley clasped her hands into a gun shape and pretended to cock it, shooting invisible bullets into her brother like she was in a western movie, while muttering 'Pew! Pew! Pew!'_

_Allen clutched his chest and collapsed dramatically onto the carpet, lifting his head slightly as he sang his final bit:_

_"Single rose bloomed in his place, with no music composed with a twisted grin this dying man lay breathing his last breath." Allen pulled a bug-eyed expression, his eyes crossed, his tongue stuck out, completing his theatrical performance. _

_Not wanting to be outdone by her brother, Riley hopped up again to sing the next verse:_

_"The third Alice was an innocent girl of Club," sang Riley, holding the end of her nightie out like a tutu as she delicately pointed her toes, "An enchanting, graceful figure in the world of Wonderland."_

_Getting thoroughly into the role, Riley reached out for her sparkly princess tiara and placed it on her head._

_"She charmed the people in the land to every beck and call," she pointed to her crown, "a peculiar country answering to each command. Consumed by paranoia of her own impending death."_

_Riley held her arms up in front of her, looking like a zombie in pyjamas. "Soon the queen succumbed to a dark and nightmarish dream. Disguised in kindness, loathing fate, she secured her regime," Riley finished. _

_Now Allen was the one to join his twin. They held hands and sang their favourite part of the song together:_

_"And as this passed, two children walked in the woods, partaking in tea underneath the trees, they'd never part." Riley and Allen slung an arm around each other and mimed drinking tea, their pinkies in the air. _

_"They found an invitation to the queen….," both paused, and their parents leant forward waiting for them to go on. _

_"IT WAS THE ACE OF HEARTS!" they shouted, throwing their hands up and shaking them as if they'd won a million dollars. Allen held down the urge to laugh at how much fun he was having. _

_"The fourth Alice was a duo of curiosity, both were lost and could not find the boat where they began." Allen and Riley peered around the room, ducking high and low, pretending to search. _

_"So they ran through countless open doors so recklessly."_

_Without saying a word, Riley sprang up onto her bed, making it bounce so hard that her mother almost toppled over. Allen followed his twin on their new stage. _

_"A brother and a sister running wild in Wonderland."_

_Riley wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. Allen mirrored her on the other side. _

_"A stubborn older sister." Riley sang._

_ "A witty younger brother." Allen sang._

_They let go and catapulted off the bed, sticking their landing at their dad's feet. _

_"But they had strayed too far into Alice's Wonderland. They were never woken up from their terrifying dream. Forever they would wander in this twisted fairytale!"_

_They bowed, ending their show. Their father clapped wildly, full of pride. The mother reluctantly clapped too, still uncomfortable with what her children were reading. _

_Riley and Allen each received a hug from their parents and were tucked into bed. _

_"That was outstanding, my little performers," their father told them as he kissed their foreheads. "You're going to become stars when you'll older."_

_"Will we, daddy?" Riley gushed, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. _

_"I'm sure you will," he said, moving over to Allen's bed nearby._

_"Do you think I can become a star too, Dad?" Allen asked timidly._

_His dad ruffled his hair, making the boy smile. "Definitely, kiddo. You've got the stuff." Allen's dad bent down to kiss him again and joined his wife at the doorway. Allen watched as she stiffened when his father approached her. _

_"Good night, children," she said to them, worn out from her lively evening. She didn't look at her husband. _

_"Good night, Mummy!" the twins called. _

_"Sleep tight, kids."_

_Then it faded to black._

Whoa, Allen thought as he opened his eyes, it had been a while since he'd had that dream.

His clock beeped, signalling that it was now seven am.

Wide awake, he got out of bed and stood in the middle of his room, mulling it over. It had been a memory from when he was a kid. He still remembered his dad reading the book to him and Riley numerous times.

But he had forgotten that he had performed for his mother and father. And the feelings it gave him.

Trying to remember stuff from when he still had both parents was hard. Everything was hazy and blurred and it was difficult from him to recall when his mother had been happy.

One thing was certain. After their mother left, Riley and Allen never sang again.

And Allen found he missed it.

Allen realised he was still holding onto Ms White's photo. Once again, he saw the faces of Leon and Lola standing proudly in front of their work. He only had to look at them for a moment before he made his decision.

Picking up a pair of jeans and a shirt off the floor, he changed quickly and raced to the bathroom, pushing past his sleepy sister. He didn't bother to do anything about his hair and cleaned his teeth in record time. His sister was now banging on the door, grouchy with Allen for mowing her over like a bulldozer. He ignored her.

Running down the stairs, he met Annabelle in the kitchen, still in her dressing gown, with curlers in her hair.  
"Allen?" she said, blinking sleep out of her eyes, "what are you doing up so early?"

He didn't answer her. Snatching up his shoes and his bag, he opened the front door wide and with a frenzied wave at his baffled step-mother, dashed out of the house. He made a bee-line for his bus-stop at the end of the road for school, slinging on his backpack as he ran.

When he got there, an old man was sitting inside the bus shelter, casually reading the morning newspaper. Allen screeched to a halt, wheezing, and struggled to catch his breath. Resting his hands on his knees, he felt a stitch forming in his side. The man looked bemused at the ruckus Allen was making so early in the morning.

Scanning the road for oncoming buses, it came to Allen that it was way too early for the school bus to show up as it didn't come till seven thirty. Allen couldn't wait that long; he had to get to Ms White.

Sucking in a deep breath, Allen took off again, making the long journey to his school on foot.

He arrived with a leaden feeling in his legs, blistered feet and his lungs on fire. The (fortunately few) early students stared at him as he limped to Ms White's classroom, feeling the bruises from where he'd slipped over a couple of times thanks to the morning dew. It was early for her too, but he knew he'd find her there.

Eventually he arrived at Ms White's classroom just as she was unpacking her satchel. He had to lean his body on the door for support.

"M-miss," he said, his voice raspy and shallow, "M-m-miss…"

"Allen? What on earth? What happened to you?" she asked, concerned as always.

"I-I'll join…" Allen could hardly speak, he was panting so hard.

"Pardon?" Ms White questioned politely.

"I'll join the loid group…."

Then he crashed onto the classroom floor, exhausted.


	7. Chapter 6: Wins and Failures

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

It was pouring down rain outside and every loid―excluding Annabelle, who dropped Allen and Riley off and went to join the mysterious Miriam―was hanging out in the basement costume shop. Even though they were underground, everyone could still hear the hard pattering on the entrance glass door upstairs. Ms White was handing out mugs of hot chocolate to the shivering teenagers. Allen took his cup in his frozen fingers and relished the soft, embracing warmth. It had to be the coldest autumn _ever_.

"Why don't we play a game?" Teto suggested.

"What game?" Allen asked.

"A game where each person takes a turn in picking a partner to exchange facts with before moving onto the next person. It'll be fun!" promised Teto.

"You mean to match the 'fun' weather outside?" Nerissa said plainly, sipping on her chocolate with one hand and holding her precious phone in the other.

"That's a great idea! To be a loid group, we all need to get to know each other." Ms White said, . "Who would like to go first?"

Michaela and (Kale? Allen couldn't remember) were the only ones who looked eager to play.

Michaela jumped up, "I'll go!' she volunteered.

"Awesome sauce!" Teto cheered, "Michaela, who do you choose to be your partner?"

"Umm…" Michaela thought for a moment, "I pick you!" She pointed to the only boy in the room other than Allen.

He smiled at her, "Well first off, I'm Kyle."

Michaela giggled, "Nice to meet you, Kyle. I'm Michaela."

"You just said a fact about yourself," Nerissa pointed out.

"Oh! Right!" Michaela blushed and began to apologize.

"I don't mind," Kyle said gently, "it's nice to meet you too, Michaela."

They exchanged quick, private smiles. Allen blinked and almost missed it. A strange feeling was beginning to swirl in the pit of his stomach and he wasn't quite sure why.

"Uh, right so my name is Kyle," he continued, looking almost bashful, "I'm seventeen years old and I've always liked to sing ever since I was a kid."

"Very nice, Kyle," Ms White said, "Now who do you choose to go next?"

"I choose, uh, Allen was it?" He looked at Allen.

"Yeah, it's Allen," replied Allen, relaxing for a brief moment as Kyle grinned at him.

"This oughta' be good," Nerissa nudged Teto.

Then all the focus was on him. Yikes, Allen thought. He wasn't much of a social person.

"Uh, does saying my name again count as one fact?" Allen asked Teto. She shook her head, her ringlets swinging in the air.

"You already told us so no cheating!" she said, pretending to be stern, shaking her finger at him.

Great. Allen wet his lips and swallowed. His mind went blank. He couldn't think of anything to say about himself.

"Well…uh 'Sweet Ann' is my step-mother, Ms White is my art teacher and Riley is my sister," he managed to say eventually. He probably looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Are you and Riley twins?" Kyle wanted to know. "You look alike what with the blonde hair and the blue eyes and stuff."

"Yeah, we're twins," Allen answered awkwardly, feeling Riley's gaze on him. They may have been born only a few minutes apart, but nowadays Riley might as well be a stranger. He could only hope he'd be able to get to know her again as they got more into the loid project.

"Thought so, I was curious." Kyle flashed another smile at him. Allen was really starting to like the carefree guy. Surprisingly, Riley kept quiet.

"Is that all you have to say about yourself, Allen?" asked Ms White, as if she were expecting more.

His throat closed up, "Yes, Miss."

The teacher nodded, looking a little dissapointed, "Let's keep going then, who do you choose Allen?"

And so the game continued with even Nerissa, Ms White and Teto joining in. The group found out that Nerissa was seventeen like Meckenzie and Kyle, even though she was only Michaela's height, and that she never left the house without her trusty phone. Ms White was twenty-eight, had grey hair by the age of twenty-five and wanted to be a music teacher but was teaching art for the moment.. And Teto was a whopping thirty-one years old, despite looking and acting younger than Allen and Riley, and had permanently dyed her hair rose-red because at the time it seemed like a 'good idea'.

As the game continued so did the revelations: Kyle used to play piano; Meckenzie knew hand-to-hand combat; Michaela was called 'water-baby' by her family because she was constantly in the pool; Riley turned out to be a whiz at maths, but her passion was chemistry and making things blow up.

And each and every time it was Allen's turn, he would mumble and ask to give his turn to someone else. Everyone was buzzing; laughing and chatting with each other but he remained awkward and shy.

Why did he have to be so bad with groups of people? A lump rose in his throat. Feeling pathetic he sat on a big plastic box near the stairs. Resting his chin in his hands, Allen watched the others blankly, all seeming to be enjoying themselves. He didn't see how he could fit within that happy picture.

"Allen?" a soft voice fell on his ears. Allen looked up to see Michaela away from the group.

"Are you alright?" she asked, lowering her voice even more so the others couldn't hear. Allen nodded and Michaela took a seat beside him on the box. He shuffled over a few inches to give her some more room, but so neither of them fell off, they were still sitting rather close, sides almost brushing.

"Are you sure?" Michaela whispered in his ear, her tickly breath against his neck making him shiver, . "You didn't say very much about yourself. Are you feeling alright?"

Allen shook his head, still unable to talk. Michaela leant back, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm guessing you're not too good with crowds," she said.

Not knowing how to answer, he nodded again.

"What a shame. From what I've seen you're a pretty cool guy."

A corner of his mouth twitched but he still couldn't speak.

Michaela was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in.

"The other kids are pretty cool as well. It'd be nice if you got to know them," Michaela told him.

"….I know you," he said quietly. Michaela seemed pleased by his sudden answer and she bumped Allen's arm gently with hers.

"Yeah, you know me," she agreed, giving him a small but special smile.

And just like that, Allen didn't feel so bad anymore.

"Yo, sheep-dog, got a minute?"

Allen saw his twin standing in front of him, hands on her hips. Before he could say anything, Michaela got up and excused herself. Perhaps she had sensed that Riley had not wanted company.

"Uh…whattaya want, Sis?" Allen patted Michaela's empty part of the box and Riley promptly took it, squashing herself down next to him.

"Just wanted to buzz in your ear," she replied, flipping some of her blonde hair out of her face.

Out of the corner of his eye, Allen could see Michaela rejoining the rest of the group. Riley watched him.

"Besides Michaela, it doesn't seem like you've talked to very many people here, not even me." Riley said, looking straight ahead.

Allen fiddled with his long, spiky fringe, tugging at it so it fell over his eyes.

"Guess I'm just not that comfortable with these people yet," Allen replied after a long pause, "I'm not exactly like you."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. But you're right, you're not like me at all," Riley agreed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Allen asked, the slightest hint of a smirk on his face. Riley shot back the same expression, so they looked they were staring into a mirror…if Riley were looking into a mirror to see her reflection show her with a shaggy mane of a haircut, that is.

"Who knows," she replied, trailing off. The two watched the other 'loids-in-training' interact for a few moments before Riley spoke again.

"You…you never said why you wanted to join the loid group," Riley said in a much quieter voice. She began to pick at a hangnail.

Allen rubbed at his neck, mulling over an answer. It was going to be tough to explain his reason to Riley when he didn't fully understand either. Plus the fact that Riley still got twitchy whenever anyone said the word: "Mum".

"I guess…" he began, "I guess it all started a little over a week ago. I was hanging out at the very back of the courtyard when….

"….and then I dreamt about Dad reading us _Alice Human Sacrifice _and how we performed for him and Mum. You know, when they were still together, I mean," He added.

Riley nodded, her eyes clouding as she took it in. "I remember that. Mum didn't like that book very much."

"Mum didn't like anything very much, period."

His twin glared at him, "I can't believe you have such little respect for your own mother."

"And I can't believe you keep putting her on a pedestal, despite what she did," he countered, trying not to raise his voice. The last thing he needed was the group watching him and his sister battle out their dysfunctional family problems.

Riley didn't take the bait and just gave him a _very _dirty look leaving him alone on the box. Allen sighed, rubbing at his temples. Just when things were starting to go well, it got screwed up.

_Again. _

Needless to say, the car-ride home was awkward. It was bad enough when Riley wasn't talking to Annabelle; it was even worse when she wouldn't even acknowledge him.

Riley was sitting in her seat, fuming, arms folded tightly across her chest. She was scowling very hard at the rain outside. Allen had been smart enough to be in the front seat, instead of facing his sister's wrath in the back. Plus, Riley would die before she sat next to Annabelle.

"So," Annabelle said, her long manicured fingers tapping a tune on the steering wheel, "did you have fun?"

To his amazement, Allen did have fun. Kyle was cool, Ms White was good as always and he'd even managed to have a conversation with Michaela, which for him was an achievement in itself.

"Yeah," Allen said mildly, watching the rain trinkle down his window screen, leaving a slippery, shiny trail.

"Oh?" his step-mother pressed, a sudden curious tone to her voice, "what happened? Did you make any new friends?"

Allen thought about it. Did Michaela count as a friend? He didn't know that much about her and Riley's gossip about her could've been just that. Gossip. Kyle seemed nice enough, laid-back and friendly. Allen figured he and Kyle would get along pretty easily. He wasn't sure what to think of Meckenzie. She was fierce and tough, with a cutting edge in her voice that made Allen a little wary. He'd definitely be walking on eggshells around her, but Kyle didn't seem to have gotten the memo on the dangers of women. Allen expected a black eye coming to him sometime in the next week or so.

He knew perfectly well how his relationship with Riley was, so Allen skipped right over thinking about her.

Nerissa was interesting and although he hadn't even properly talked to her yet, her presence stuck in his mind. Her face always had this bored, zoned out expression and her mobile phone must've been glued to her hand because Allen didn't see her put it down once the whole time they were there. Not to mention that sharp hazel-golden gaze of hers that would show up once or twice, piercing through anyone it fell upon. Allen wasn't sure whether to be afraid or fascinated by her.

Ms White was her usual timid and gentle self and Allen was admittedly glad that she was there. He had to remember to thank her one day for giving him a chance.

As for Teto, Allen was convinced that she was more or less _insane_.

"…possibly," Allen finally said, his uncertainty showing..

Annabelle gave him a knowing look. "Apart from your sister, I noticed there were three other very pretty girls there with you. If you remember what I said about cutting your hair and letting your cute face be seen, we might end up having one young lady joining us for dinner."

Allen choked on his breath, his face reddening stupendously.

"Absolutely not!" Allen squeaked, hiding his face in his hair even more.

Annabelle just laughed.

"We'll just see, won't we?"

"Why am I here?" Allen sighed as he walked alongside Michaela.

"Weren't you listening?" Michaela answered, taking him literally. "We're at the old Lloyd hall to practice."

Indeed they were. Surrounding them and the other loids-in-training were slabs of concrete wall and a cream carpet that looked itchy to sit on along with the odd mismatched chair or two. And at the very front was a small but impressive-looking stage with velvet curtains and everything.

Allen was overwhelmed, "Did the Lloyd's own everything in this town at some point?" Michaela shrugged at his question.

Half an hour ago they had been gathered with the other child loids at the basement shop where Ms White had brought up the topic that had been itching in the back of Allen's mind for a while.

"Now that we all know each other a little, it's about time we get down to singing," she said. It was obvious to see how excited she was.

Meckenzie was leaning against one of the decorated walls, a princess costume on her left and a pirate costume on her right, "So…?" she prodded.

"So we're going on a little excursion to see some friends of ours," Ms White continued, looking back at Nerissa and Teto, "and to begin our practice sessions."

"But I thought we were going to practise singing here?" Riley furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled.

Teto chuckled playfully, "Oh no, silly! There's no room for a bunch of big, ropey teenagers such as yourselves to spread your wings out in a cramped place like this! We'd get squashed!"

"Think of this as our base camp," Nerissa offered, not looking up from her phone. "We come here for small meetings and what not, but the serious stuff happens in the Lloyd hall."

"Lloyd hall?" Michaela sat up, "Like Leon and Lola Lloyd, Lloyd hall?"

"We've got some allies who own the place now. It's not used much, but they have the odd performance here and there. They're in on the loid project too," Nerissa explained.

"You're almost making it sound like we're in the military or something," Meckenzie said.

"Or undercover spies!" Kyle suggested, starting to hum the James Bond theme.

Meckenzie and Nerissa shot him aggravated looks.

"So it's settled then. We all head over to Lloyd hall to make the magic happen!" Teto said in her lively upbeat voice.

So here they were. If Allen thought he was nervous before, he was practically petrified now. Singing…

_Singing. Singing .Singing .Singing .SINGING._SINGING.**SINGING.**

When had he ever thought that this was a good idea?

Trying hard to swallow his fear, Allen saw two people greeting Ms White, Nerissa and Teto with big hugs. Nerissa even hugged back, despite not looking like a very huggy person.

"Everyone," Ms White turned the loids, "this is Peaches and Uta. They'll be working alongside us to help you get your voices sorted out."

Two small women gave a slight bow in their direction. The one with the strawberry-blonde hair broke the solemnity by flashing a shy smile.

"Peaches and Uta were overseas fans of the Engloids. They moved here a few years ago from Japan."

"It is a pleasure," one of the girls said formally in a dull voice. Her eyes were half-shut and Allen wondered if she was tired. "I'm Uta."

"And I'm Peaches," the strawberry-blonde said sweetly, "It's very nice to meet you all."

"How come this place is so schmancy when it doesn't get used that often?" Meckenzie questioned, looking at the pristine shape the windows were in and the neat, clean carpet floor.

"That would be Peaches here," Nerissa explained, nodding in her direction.

Flustered by the attention, Peaches stuttered "I-i-i-i-it's nothing, really, I-I-I-I-I used to be a m-m-maid when I was in J-Japan…"

Allen didn't understand why, but seeing Peaches look so nervous made him less nervous himself. It felt good that he wasn't completely surrounded by confident extroverts.

Before anything else could be said, the squeaky hall doors opened and Annabelle strolled in with yet another woman.

"Mim!" Ms White walked up to the tall and serious-looking female, "It's great you could be here, we were just about to get started. These are the children loids-in-training we were telling you about."

The sombre-looking lady scanned their faces. Allen felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights with the cold look she was giving them. Allen couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this person before, _somewhere_.

"Ann and I just came to make sure things were going alright," she said crisply.

"We've been trying to recruit some new adult members," Annabelle said and shook her head sadly, "but we've had no luck so far."

"That stinks," Teto groaned sympathetically, "Would you like to meet the gems we found?"

Allen glowed a bit at being called a 'gem' and it almost made up for the weird woman's face that gave the impression that she didn't think they were gems at all. Well, maybe he wasn't just yet but it just _hurt_.

Without answering, she stepped forward and gave them the slightest nod.

"I'm Meckenzie," the strong brunette said, "I was the first to be recruited, behind Leon and Lola of course."

"I'm Kyle," Kyle said brightly, "I found this place second…at least I think so!"

"Um, I'm Michaela! And er…I think I came after Sweet Ann so that makes me fourth!"

"This is my brother," Riley said, leaning towards Allen. "Our names are Riley and Allen and we were the fifth people to be recruited."

"And we all know who this is, don't we?" said Teto, nudging the still-embarrassed Peaches, almost knocking her over.

"Who?" Allen wondered aloud. She looked familiar, but Allen still couldn't remember why.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nerissa pointed to the newcomer.

Dumbly, Allen shook his head.

"This is Miriam. _The _Miriam."

* * *

**I forgot to mention that in the last chapter I got the lyrics for ****_Alice Human Sacrifice _****from this video: watch?v=sR6g0auvcJs which is a beautiful English dubbing of the song. I take no credit for the lyrics!**

**Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review! xxxxx**


	8. Chapter 7: Off Key

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

"Don't mean to be rude, but why the emphasis on _'the'_?" Meckenzie asked bluntly. The other loids-in-training sighed in relief because she had said what they all were too afraid to ask.

Miriam didn't even blink, but Ms White looked a little flustered.

"Well, as most of you know, Miriam was the one who set up the loid resurrection project, but she was also the third Engloid to be released. She was Leon and Lola's _protégé,_" she enlightened the confused teenagers.

"Oh…" Meckenzie crossed her arms. "I get the formality now."

Whoa…Allen hadn't known Leon and Lola had a third Engloid. He'd figured he'd be used to surprises by now but he wasn't.

"So you're a big deal?" Riley queried.

"I was," Miriam said darkly.

The teenagers were smart enough not to ask Miriam for any further explanations. Allen still had the uneasy feeling that he knew Miriam from somewhere. He had seen her face before. But where?

….then he added it up.

"It's you! I know you!" he yelled suddenly. His voice bounced off the walls and echoed throughout the hall. Everyone was staring at him. Miriam was the only one who didn't look openly alarmed.

"Yes?" she challenged bluntly.

"Y-you were in that photo with Leon and Lola!" Allen took out the old photo of the mural that Ms White had given him. Next to Leon and Lola was a woman with bright eyes and an even brighter grin, her body covered with blotches of green and purple paint. Lola had an arm around her. He'd seen the picture a thousand times; it had to be her.

Miriam had stiffened as Allen pulled the picture out. Ms White's face had turned as white as her name.

"A-Allen, you should put that away now…" she said, "It's not a good idea to have that out aro―"

"That was a long time ago," Miriam interrupted abruptly. "Things have changed."

"R-right…" Allen knew it had been a huge mistake to show her the picture. The Miriam in front of him looked like a shadow of her past self. No wonder he hadn't recognised her at first. He returned the offending picture to his pocket.

Miriam cleared her throat. "I go by 'Mim' now. After all, I no longer hold my Engloid title."

What….? Allen couldn't ask her to elaborate on the subject because Miriam had turned on her heel and was on her way out the door with Annabelle following. Annabelle gave a brief wave to Allen and shut the door behind her.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Teto said, nodding to Uta who sat herself down at a piano close to the stage.

So now it was time for the group to show off their voices; the moment of truth for Allen. He considered running away and was frantically looking for the nearest exit when Ms White caught his eye. She gave him a long, uncharacteristically hard look as if to say: don't even think about it. Allen knew there was no escaping the inevitable.

He'd have to sing.

In front of all these people.

Today.

He could only hope his queasy stomach wouldn't give everyone a second showing of what he'd had for breakfast.

"Meckenzie, you're up first! Show us what you can do!" Teto sat down on top of the piano. Uta frowned at her for parking her butt on the classical instrument but ignored her, her face once again becoming devoid of expression. Meckenzie handed her some music sheets and hopped up onto the stage.

Everyone gathered near the foot of the stage to listen in. To Allen's dismay no one was looking particularly nervous about singing. The only clear emotion he got was from Riley, who gave him a fierce glare. He sighed; clearly she was still huffy with him about their squabble the other day.

Meckenzie stood at the centre of the stage and it would have been impossible for her to look any more confident. Allen was riddled with envy. The brunette nodded at Uta, who began to play a soft, slow melody.

For a few seconds the only noise in the room was the piano. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing he was. Just what would the rough and tough Meckenzie sound like?

….mellow. Her voice had a soothing charm to it and was surprisingly deep and warm. Meckenzie was grinning. It was obvious she really enjoyed performing. Allen saw Ms White and Teto swap knowing looks at each other across the room. They were clearly satisfied with their work.

The piano stopped and everyone clapped. Meckenzie gave them a quick smile and jumped off the stage, landing neatly beside the piano.

"Well?" she prodded, looking at Teto. Ms White walked over to them.

"Wonderful work, Meckenzie," Ms White complimented her. "You have a remarkably steady voice; very fluid."

"I agree," Teto added. "I liked it a lot; a very mature voice for someone who's only seventeen. You should be proud."

"Thanks," Meckenzie said humbly.

"However―how should I say this?" Ms White's voice wavered and she turned to Teto for help.

"It's, like, you have a lack of clarity and I felt like we were losing you on some notes," Teto said gently. "It'll take a bit of tweaking to get you in tune with some of the songs we'll be singing."

"I see." Meckenzie nodded and walked away. Kyle stopped her as she passed him.

"I think you did good," he reassured her. Meckenzie's face was unreadable and she simply nodded at him too, before taking a seat in an odd-ball chair beside Peaches.

"Kyle, youuuuu're up!" Teto sang, "It's your turn in the spotlight!"

Kyle took his place on stage, looking a bit sheepish. Uta looked at him expectantly.

"I didn't actually think to bring any music with me, sorry," he said, embarrassed.

"It's not school," Nerissa spoke up unexpectedly, having not said anything in a while. "It doesn't matter. Part of the reason this kid group was formed was to get away from all that crap."

"That's alright, Kyle," comforted Ms White, "It'll work with or without accompaniment."

Kyle bit his lip, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. He cleared his throat and began to sing….

A deep and smooth filled the air. Allen picked up the slightest hint of jazz in it. Kyle didn't look as sure of himself as Meckenzie, but it was obvious that he was enjoying performing and loved to sing. Allen could smile at that, at least.

Allen automatically joined in the applause when Kyle finished, but was only half aware of clapping. If Meckenzie and Kyle were this good…he could only imagine how Michaela was going to sound. And Riley too. He hadn't heard her sing in years. Would even she be strides ahead of him?

Allen dreaded finding out the answer.

"Another great performance!" Teto said. "Miriam has good taste in loids!"

"I think, Kyle that you would be brilliant at singing pop ballads," Ms White suggested.

Even Peaches joined in, "Y-your voice complements Meckenzie's. You two should s-sing together at some point."

Ms White sighed. "However, like Meckenzie, you do lack a bit of clarity in your voice. That will be tricky with some songs…."

"But I'm very hopeful we can help you two out!" Teto added cheerfully.

"Thanks a lot," Kyle said earnestly, not seeming to have taken his negative feedback to heart. He went back to his seat.

"Is it my turn now? I've prepared some music notes!" Michaela handed the pages to Uta and skipped onto the stage. Teto leaned over Uta's shoulder and looked astonished. Uta only widened her eyes a fraction, but Allen guessed she was as shocked as her springy friend.

"You want to sing _this _song?" Teto asked uncertainly. Michaela nodded.

"It's my favourite, so I thought it would be a good idea!" she said.

"It's just…" Teto scanned the music in her hands, "These are some really high notes. Are you sure you want to sing it?"

"I can do it!" Michaela insisted, not looking even slightly fazed. "Please let me!"

Wordlessly, Uta set up the sheets in front of her and began to play a song that sounded like a lullaby. Allen could've fallen alseep if he hadn't had his eyes glued to Michaela. She gave him a wink, making him blush a little. Just how could she be so carefree? As Michaela opened her mouth, Allen held his breath in anticipation.

The room fell silent when a stunning voice escaped from Michaela's lips. Allen froze; his heart beating fast. And it wasn't just because the sun pouring from the window highlighted Michaela's blue eyes and made them shine.

It was because he had never heard such a voice in his life.

It was so soft and calming, but at the same time thrilling and exciting. It was almost inhuman.

The piano was climbing rapidly to higher and higher notes but Michaela kept with it, with no hesitation. As the music built to a crescendo, she sang out an impossibly high note that just about stopped Allen's heart all together.

"_Last night, good night_. _Last night, good night. This night I'll hold your hand tight and go to sleep. Goodnight." _

The music gradually slowed again. When it finished, Michaela was breathing heavily but still smiling. Allen and the others was on their feet, applauding her. Riley even put two fingers in her mouth and gave a long whistle.

Allen wanted to congratulate her. At least, once he could manage the scrape his jaw off the floor.

Nerissa and Teto high-fived and as Allen walked up to Michaela he fell in line beside Kyle.

"That was totally awesome!" Kyle said to Michaela, "I've got goose bumps!" He rolled up his sleeves to show her. Michaela laughed.

"Thank you! I liked your act as well, Kyle."

"Umm…" Allen started.

"Nice pipes, Michaela!" Riley interrupted, "Wicked work on those high notes."

"Wow, thanks a lot! I can't wait to hear you, though!"

"Er…" Allen began.

"Beautifully done, Michaela," Ms White complimented.

"I'll say!"Teto cut in, "Where were you hiding? This is exactly what we need in this group!"

"Hello…?" Allen couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"T-t-t-that was wonderful," Peaches stumbled.

"I have to admit I was almost worried there for a minute," Uta confessed.

"Good job," Nerissa said, almost smiling.

Allen gave up. There was no way he could speak to her with everybody crowding her like that. Besides, what was he even going to say? He was almost as bad at speaking up as Peaches!

Well, at least at speaking to girls such as Michaela, anyway.

Ms White clapped her hands in a teacher-like fashion. "Okay everybody! We can celebrate on our successes after we're done. It's Riley's turn to sing."

"Right-o, miss," Riley saluted Ms White and strutted her way to the stage, sending herself up. Michaela (who appeared to have become Riley's new best friend at some point) cheered her on. Ms White murmured something to Allen but he couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything over his heartbeat pounding in his ears. His feet were frozen to the floor, sweat was forming on his forehead, and his hands were shaking.

Because Allen was all too aware of who would be left after Riley to perform in front of everyone.

"So Riley, what do you have in store for us?" Ms White wanted to know as the blonde was handing her music sheets to Uta.

"Oh something special, Miss," Riley answered her vaguely. Allen saw her smirking at him and felt even sicker.

"In fact," she continued, "It's so special that my brother Allen here volunteered to do the song with me, since we're twins and all."

Everyone cooed with excitement and they all looked at him.

Allen stared at her sister. She wouldn't…

Riley held her hand out to him. "Come on up, baby bro."

Who was he kidding? Oh course she would.

He couldn't move and the room suddenly seemed a million degrees colder. Allen waited, praying that the floor would swallow him whole. Anywhere would be better than here with everyone staring at him, expecting him to sing. When she saw that Allen wasn't going to budge, Riley reached for his arm, pulled him to his feet and heaved him onto the stage.

Riley put her arm around Allen as a sign of mock support.

"This is payback for insulting Mum," she hissed through her teeth. Allen tensed as she gestured to Uta to start the music.

The all-too-familiar tune began to play.

Alice Human Sacrifice.

_"The first Alice was a wrathful woman of the Spade, and righteously she held a sharpened sword within her hand. Never hesitating to slay all within her way, creating paths of blood that followed her through Wonderland," _Riley sang the first bit, her voice still high with a child-like spin to it. She sounded like Riley. And Riley sounded really, really good.

_"Deep into the darkened forest, Alice walked the line. Captured and imprisoned as an embodiment of sin. If it were not for the murderous wake left behind, no one would have suspected she had ever been." _Riley finished her bit, looking extremely pleased with herself. There was no doubt that Riley was enjoying watching him silently suffer. Trapped.

The next verse made its way around and Allen gulped. Riley looked at him, grinning.

Allen's eyes shot down towards the audience and saw the eager faces of his fellow loids.

Well at least they have the talent to be loids, Allen thought, cause I certainly don't.

The piano stopped and everyone was staring at him again.

"You missed your cue," Riley explained, seeing his confused face.

"Oh," Allen said, feeling worse than ever. "I'm sorry."

"Shall we run it again?" Teto asked, looking to Uta who was still sitting at the piano, hands folded in her lap.

"Uh…" Allen mumbled, unsure of what to do. Again he scanned the small crowd and focused on Ms White. Without saying anything, she gave him the slightest nod, her eyes locked onto his. What was she trying to tell him? Then he remembered what she had said earlier.

_"I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. That's the last thing I want. But you have a major opportunity here. You can be that someone you want to be. As I've always tried to tell you and the other students—strive to be the best you can be."_

A wave of courage flowed through Allen's body and his tense muscles relaxed.

He could do this.

He _knew _he could do this.

"Yes," Allen nodded, "Start the music up again, please."

* * *

**Sorry for the late update, for those who were waiting. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again! Review! :)**


	9. Chapter 8: A New Look

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**A New Look**

**A new look **

"Is he dead?"

"If so, can I poke him?"

"Riley!"

Blearily, Allen opened his eyes and found a circle of faces above him, each belonging to a different member of the new loid family.

"You okay, buddy?" Allen heard Kyle say.

"W-what happened?" he asked groggily. A thumping pain at the back of his head made it hard to think clearly but Allen tried his best to hear the other loids talk.

"Basically you passed out," Riley answered him bluntly, "It was actually rather funny," she added sadistically.

Allen barely heard her as he tried to raise his head a little, the intense hurt in his skull only making it worse. Michaela, who had some sympathy for him, gently eased him back down.

Seeing his confused expression, Michaela explained, "Well, you sang your bit and then as soon as the music stopped you just sort of…fainted. You hit your head pretty badly on the stage."

"I…sang?" Now that his head was clearing a little, Allen remembered what had happened. He HAD sung, whether or not he was good he wasn't sure, but when Uta stopped playing the piano things went black very quickly.

Damn, Allen thought bitterly, I really messed up this time. And right in front of Michaela too!

Shamefully, Allen hung his head and groaned. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Allen?" a familiar comforting voice said.

Allen was feeling awful. So much for the major opportunity to become someone special; Ms White was wrong about him, "I'm sorry I failed, miss."

Ms White stared at him quizzically before confusing him even more with a soft smile.

"You didn't fail, Allen. It was simply nerves that made you faint. It's bound to happen sometimes to people who get stage-fright."

Allen sat up; ignoring the aching pain his head took as he did it, "I fainted. No one else did anything like that. I'm not cut out to be a performer, miss. I'm the wrong person," Allen said sadly.

Ms White shook her head, her loose grey ponytail swaying, "That's not true, Allen. Everyone else got nervous too."

"Yeah," Kaito agreed, "I kept on tapping my foot! It's a nervous tic I got years ago that I still haven't been able to fully shake off."

"And my knees were shaking so badly I was wondering how you all didn't notice!" Michaela put in.

"My hands sometimes fiddle with my clothes if I'm really stressed on stage," Meckenezie confessed.

Even Riley admitted to being a little stiff whilst performing.

"You see, Allen?" she turned back to her student, "It's not just you. Everyone, however professional or not, get nervous before a performance. Being nervous isn't bad; it's a sign of caution, encouragement. We can learn from it and it doesn't always mean you'll do horribly once you perform. Those who go onto stage while being nervous are the true performers."

"So I didn't mess up?" Allen pressed hopefully.

"Oh no, you messed up pretty bad," Riley quipped and Meckenzie nudged her hard in the  
stomach.

"What?" Riley exclaimed, rubbing her abdomen, "I was going to continue saying that there's always the next time!"

"As bold as Riley's chosen words were, she has a point," said Ms White, "There is always a new chance just waiting around the corner, Allen."

"In this case," Nerissa walked over, "You won't actually have to do your song again. Apart from your spectacle at the end, Clare and the others liked you. You're now a loid."

"What?" Allen wasn't sure he heard the haughty blonde right.

"Don't make me repeat myself. You're in, dweeb."

Allen opened his mouth to talk but Riley had tackled him into a violent hug which Allen was almost too surprised to return. Congratulations were filling his ears and the instant rush of pleasure as Michaela quickly squeezed his hand before dropping it. Kyle patted him on the back and Meckenzie gave him a friendly (albeit rough) punch on his arm.

Off to the side, Nerissa was standing next to Ms White, seeing her proud smile.

"Did you ever doubt him?" Nerissa asked, already knowing the answer.  
Ms White gazed at the bewildered but ecstatic boy surrounded by his new friends and shook her head slowly.

"Never."

-

Annabelle was all over Allen when she came back to pick him and Riley up. As soon as she found him she hugged the poor boy with her muscular arms. When the over-affectionate stepmother realised her stepson couldn't breathe she let him go.

"Clare gave me a call; you don't have a concussion do you?" she asked worriedly.

Allen shook his head and reapplied the bag of frozen peas Teto had lent him to the back of his head again. "Just a bruise."

"You poor thing." Annabelle cupped her hand on his cheek and smiled sympathetically.

"Still, I'm very proud of you both for getting in! My little stars!"

"Both of us?" Rin said questioningly.  
Annabelle straightened up a bit and gave Riley a wan smile. "Of course. You're both so  
very talented."

Riley just raised an eyebrow and walked away to say goodbye to Michaela. Annabelle sighed and put her arm around Allen.

"Not to worry, Allen," she reassured him. "I think she's warming up to us."

Allen shrugged. When it came to his sister, he never questioned why she did the things she did. However, she'd hugged him today, hadn't she? Of course, that was only after she had publicly humiliated him by making him stand on stage. Although, he wasn't sure what he would've done if Riley hadn't cut in to team up with him, so in a funny way he felt obliged to thank her.

Geez, girls were confusing Allen thought as he adjusted the frozen pea bag to his skull.  
Riley wandered back over to Annabelle and Allen and they made their way to the car. Riley slipped into the back as usual and Annabelle took her rightful place in the driver's seat. Now Allen had a dilemma, should he sit with Annabelle like he usually did or sit in the back to keep Riley company and perhaps thank her for her slightly evil generosity?

In the end he sat down in the back, to Riley's surprise. Allen caught her eye and noticed a tiny smile on her lips before she quickly looked away.

Annabelle drove through the traffic, humming a tune as she went. Allen thought about how to get Riley's attention. She was looking out the window, her hand covering her mouth. It was hard to see how she was feeling, but speculating on her distantly focused ocean-blue eyes, he guessed she was thinking about something.

He watched her for a few minutes and when she didn't move leaned over and hesitantly poked her cheek with his finger. Riley blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. She stared at Allen before slowly poking him back. Allen smiled and poked her again. She retaliated. Allen struggled not to laugh. He felt Riley relax as they went on poking and prodding and making each other squeal for the entire journey home. It was a silly, childish game, but it made Allen think that maybe there was hope yet for him and his sister to rekindle their relationship…

¬¬-

Allen was never one to wake up early in the morning, especially on the weekend. But somehow that didn't stop Riley from invading his bedroom at seven in the morning. She switched on the lights and Allen winced, crawling deeper under his covers.

"Morning, sheepdog!" she said loudly. Allen heard her walk past his bed and open his curtains, letting a whole stream of sunlight waft over him. Allen buried himself in his blanket cocoon, trying to get back to sleep, but Riley wasn't having it.

Suddenly Allen tumbled off his bed and hit the floor in a heap. Riley had grabbed the edge of his blanket and rolled him out of his sleep sanctuary. Allen moaned, his face planted on the carpet, willing his sister to go away and leave him be. But instead, Riley being Riley, she sat down on top of him, crushing him beneath her weight.

"Alright, alright I'm up!" Allen sat up, toppling Riley off him with the sudden movement. He rubbed the milky sleep from his eyes. "What do you want me up for so early anyway?"

"'cause I was bored."

"_Riley!_"

"Okay, okay." Riley waved her hands in front of her face. "I'm kidding. Ms White wants us all down at the HQ for some reason."

"Can't it wait 'till the afternoon?" Allen said lazily, slumping on his side. Riley took the blankets away from him and threw them to the other side of the room so he was left on the floor in his pyjamas shivering.

"No, it can't. Get dressed." Riley barked her order, but still looked at him quizzically.

"What?" Allen asked, feeling very self-conscious under her gaze.

"You _really need a haircut_," Riley said after a moment. "When's the last time you brushed that haystack?"

"I'm don't have to answer that," Allen replied, getting up to go to the bathroom as a diversionary tactic. He actually couldn't remember the last time he had brushed his hair.  
But Riley didn't need to know that.

-

Allen wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived at the costume shop (or loid HQ as Riley had dubbed it), but it certainly wasn't what he saw in front of him.

Meckenzie was standing on some sort of mini stage in front of a mirror hanging against a wall. She was wearing a red outfit and Tetowas walking around her, tape measure in hand, fiddling with it.

"Oooh!" Teto squealed when she saw them. "You're here! Come sit down!"

"What's going on?" asked Allen, stifling a yawn.

"Did something happen?" Michaela said, "Are we in trouble?"

"No, you're not in trouble," Ms White assured her, "we've just got a surprise for you."

"Oh, I've been planning this for weeks! I couldn't wait to get started!" Teto gushed.  
"What do you mean; 'get started'?" Allen asked worriedly. He was always on his guard around Teto. She worked like an unpredictable time bomb and he didn't want to be anywhere near her when she went off.

He noticed that there was something different about Meckenzie other than what she was wearing. Michaela pinpointed it for him.

"Your hair!" Michaela cried out. "It's all gone."

"No it isn't," Meckenzie said, brushing aside her new fringe. "I just got a haircut from Nerissa that's all." The haircut in question had cut off Meckenzie's straggly hair and shaped it into a smooth bob that skilfully framed her face in a way Allen hadn't thought possible.

"And you should be grateful I did, what with those dreadlocks you were sporting." Nerissa snapped, slouching against a wall, near the archway.

Meckenzie growled, "Are you looking for a fight?"

Nerissa raised one gold eyebrow at her. "Calm your temper. I was simply going by what Teto wanted in the designs and added my own little flair."

"What designs?" Riley spoke up.

Nerissa sighed. "I mean that Teto's been designing your Vocaloid costumes for ages. And now that you're almost ready to become fully-fledged loids, you get your alias outfits to go along with you."

"Vocaloid?" Riley echoed.

"Pretty clever, huh?" Annabelle said. "Miriam made it up. That's what we're calling you from now on. 'Voca' for vocal and loid in memory of the Lloyds'."

"This is all sounding very…official," Allen said eventually.

Nerissa stared at him, "Well what did you expect? If you're not going to take this seriously you might as well quit now before Teto gets a hold of your dress size."

"Nerissa," Ms White stated firmly, "Allen has just as much of a right to be here as anyone else. This is all a lot to take in so it may take some time to get used to everything."

"Whatever." Nerissa rolled her eyes, taking out her phone to amuse herself. "How're you doing in there, Kyle?" she called out without looking up.

"Uh, Nerissa?" Allen heard Kyle's voice echo from the shop's bathroom. "What did you do to my hair?"

"What do you mean what did I do to your hair?" Nerissa said.

"Uh, this." Kyle emerged from the bathroom, his hair now a rich blue colour.

Allen heard Michaela gasp. Then a yelp from Meckenzie as Teto, caught off guard, accidently pricked Meckenzie's skin with a needle.

"You turned his hair _blue?_" Riley exclaimed.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Teto showed me the design for his outfit so I tried a blueish-black dye to give his hair a bit of variety."

"Well you definitely gave him that. Now we've got a blueberry for a teammate!" Meckenzie said, rubbing at her pierced side.

"I didn't think it would be that strong of a dye…" Nerissa was starting to appear frantic and Allen almost felt sorry for her.

"Does it come out?" Michaela asked.

"No." Nerissa hung her head. Her fringe hid her face, but Allen could clearly see how tense she was.

"Oh dear," Ms White said, coming over to put an arm around her. Allen looked at Kyle to see his reaction to his newly acquired hairstyle, but, strangely, he didn't seem very upset at all.

Kyle walked over to where Meckenzie was still getting fitted and checked himself out in the mirror.

"Actually…" he said after a while, "this doesn't look half bad."

Allen heard another gasp, but this time it was from Nerissa.

"What?" she said shakily, her face all red.

"I could live with blue hair. You really came through with making me and Meckenzie look good." Kyle patted at his hair, smoothing it out.

Nerissa looked astounded and said nothing.

"You think I look good?" Meckenzie echoed, but Kyle managed to dodge the question as Annabelle spoke up at the same time.

"Are you sure, Kyle?" Annabelle asked him. "We could always try to cover it up."

"No way!" Kyle shook his head firmly. "This looks awesome!"

Meckenzie sighed. "Well, if I have to sing with a walking popsicle stick then so be it."  
Kyle grinned at her and Nerissa managed to crack a smile. Allen gave a sigh of relief.

"As nice as it looks on Kyle, can I not have my hair turn technicolour?" Michaela asked.  
Nerissa's smile grew a little, making her hazel eyes light up. "I've got wigs. I can make custom wigs for you."

"Sounds like a plan," Ms White said, nodding and looking pleased.

Meckenze let out another grunt as Teto jabbed at her again.

"I think I'm almost done…" Teto said, thinking aloud. Her tongue was sticking out in concentration as she tugged at the red material, Allen guessed to make sure it sat right.

"Really?" Meckenzie said, sounding disappointed. "And I was so enjoying the lovely pain of the puncture wounds you inflicted upon me."

Teto giggled at Meckenzie's sarcasm. "Alright, I think you can turn around now."  
So Meckenzie turned around to face the others. Allen noticed the colour in Kyle's cheeks, but didn't dwell on it.

Meckenzie stood proudly in front of everyone, hands planted on her hips. She was wearing a red zip-up midriff jacket, revealing a flat, smooth torso. She also wore a flared red skirt with a wide, white belt and short black shorts underneath. And on her feet were black socks, almost entirely covered with brown leather boots.

"Teto, you're a genius," Annabelle said after a minute.

Teto chuckled. "I know." She caught Meckenzie's eye.

"Worth the puncture wounds?"

Meckenzie looked down at herself, taking in the outfit.

"So worth the puncture wounds."

-

After everyone had finishing admiring Meckenzie's Vocaloid costume, it was Kyle's turn to be fitted for his outfit. It was very different from Meckenzie's. He had a long white trench coat with blue and yellow stripes lining the sleeves. Brown trousers covered his legs and there were simple white slip-on shoes for his feet., The whole outfit seemed to go very well with his striking new hair colour.

At least, Kyle thought so. Meckenzie on the other hand…

"It's missing something," she stated, looking at Kyle with searching brown eyes. Allen watched Kyle squirm under her gaze.

Teto looked through her sketches, puzzled. "Like what? I followed my design perfectly."

"Maybe, but," Meckenzie continued, walking forward towards Kyle, "It doesn't look quite right…"

"And you think you could do better?" Nerissa spat, defending Teto. Meckenzie ignored her and began to slowly circle around Kyle, much to his discomfort.

Suddenly, Meckenzie froze mid-step before dashing off madly to a corner of the room. She flung open a trunk while Allen and the others looked on, bemused.

"What is she doing?" Nerissa said, frowning at the assorted costume props Meckenzie was tossing out carelessly.

Ms White was equally confused. "What are you looking for, Meckenzie? There isn't anything in there but old―"

"A-HA!"

Meckenzie raced back to Kyle, making him jump. She looped a flash of blue around his neck and stepped back to admire her work. The light blue scarf transformed the outfit. Ms White and Annabelle were nodding, agreeing to the new look.

"My touch. You like?" Meckenzie asked Nerissa smugly.

Nerissa rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath, "Yeah, fine."

"I think…" Ms White announced, "…we have our first Vocaloids ready for release!"

"You mean they're going first?" Riley pointed at Mackenzie and Kyle. "Why them?"

"Well," Ms White said steadily, "since they were the first Vocaloids, obviously they're going to be released first."

"But I thought Leon and Lola were the first Vocaloids. Or Engloids. Or…both?" Michaela looked very confused.

"Yes and no. It's very complicated to go into." Even Ms White was rubbing her head now.

"Why must this all be so intricate?" Meckenzie complained, pinching the bridge of her nose. Kyle chuckled.

"I suggest we just take it as it comes," he said. Allen thought he would have to agree  
with him.

And…he was looking forward to it.

-

"It's so…swooshy." Michaela purred, patting at the smooth, long, teal twin-tails that now sat atop her head. She did a twirl and her new fake hairdo followed, almost knocking Teto's eye out.

Michaela's new Vocaloid look was a sight to see. Meckenzie's and Kyle's were good, but

Teto had gone all out on Michaela's costume, transforming a nice, casual-looking school girl into a technological pop star. Michaela had warmed to the idea of a wig, not wanting to miss out on a new do and no-one would miss her in a crowd now. The wig's brilliant blue-green hair matched her cyan eyes and fell in two ponytails to the floor.

Allen could hardly recognize her. This girl kept on throwing more surprises in his face and the strange thing was that Allen was actually starting to like it.

"It's brilliant," Michaela told Teto, giving her a hug. Ms White and Annabelle were practically jumping up and down, they were so happy with how their loid concepts had succeeded.

Allen wondered …would they be just as happy when it was his and Riley's turn?

His stomach suddenly rumbled and unfortunately, everyone heard him. Allen flushed as they stared at him, unsure of what to do.

"Somebody's hungry," Nerissa remarked, smirking.

Kill me, Allen thought.

"Well it is lunchtime," Teto said, looking at a clock on the wall. "Should we go out and get something to eat?"

Everyone nodded eagerly.

"You mean…dressed like this?" Meckenzie gestured doubtfully to her attire, although hers was the simplest of three Vocaloid outfits.

"Why not?" Kyle threw one length of his scarf over his shoulder. "It'll be fun."

"I'm so excited!" Michaela said, bouncing on the spot. "I've never felt this cool before."

"I know a café a little way down the road. I know the owner fairly well," Ms White said.  
Teto slung one arm around Ms White and the other around Nerissa, bringing them close.

"Then let's go!"

-

"So…" Nerissa started as yet another person tripped over one of Michaela's ponytails, "just exactly how many people are staring at us now?"

While Michaela apologized to the unfortunate bystander, Riley swivelled her head to gaze around the room.

"Pretty much the entire café," she reported.

Allen shrunk a little lower into his seat. Between Meckenzie's new tight skirt, Kyle's hair and Michaela's…everything else, they were easily the most conspicuous people in the café. It didn't help that all three of them were enjoying the attention when all Allen wanted to do was hide. Since they clearly had no shame, Allen had to feel embarrassed for them.

"Do you think the owner will mind that we're bringing in so much…attention?" Annabelle  
asked.

Ms White shook her head, "He doesn't mind. He thinks if Teto can appear in broad daylight with her wine-coloured ringlets, then Michaela, Kyle and Meckenzie won't be a problem."

"Even so…" Allen cringed as yet more people poured into the Ice Mountain café to get a better look at the oddly dressed teenagers. A girl with orangey-red hair who looked about Michaela's age walked over to the group.

"May I take your order?" she asked cheerfully, holding up her cherry-covered notepad.

"Herbal tea for me, Michelle," Ms White answered her and the young waitress rolled her eyes playfully. The rest of the group exchanged confused glances.

"C'mon, Haku. You know I like to be called Miki. _Mi-ki_."

"Of course." Ms White smiled sweetly. "It's wonderful to see you helping your uncle with the café."

Miki grinned back, just as sweetly. "I owe him. He's been so good to me."

"That's lovely to hear," Ms White peered over Miki's shoulder. "Is your sister here?"

Miki shrugged. "She's probably off entertaining some of the customers. Uncle just can't seem to keep her in one place." Then she looked at the company Ms White had as if she were seeing them for the first time.

"Oh, hello! I'm sorry I was so busy rambling on I almost didn't notice you all. Are these  
friends of yours, Haku?"

"Oh yes," Ms White nodded. "These are some of the newest Vocaloids you're seeing, Miki."  
Miki's eyes began to sparkle. "Wow! I've heard about you guys, but I didn't think I'd actually get to meet you. Hi!" Miki extended her hand to the group and everyone in turn shook it.

"I love your costumes!" Miki complimented and Michaela beamed.

"Thank you! Teto designed them." Michaela nodded to Teto who waved at Miki.

"Hiya! Your hair's almost the same colour of mine, is it natural?" Teto leaned forward.

"Yeah, I've been told my hair colour is kind of strange but―"

_GRUMBLE_

Everyone looked at Allen yet again. He crossed his arms over his hungry belly, humiliated.  
Miki smacked her palm to her forehead. "Duh, of course, your orders! What'll they be?"

After everyone gave their orders and Miki was given permission to touch Michaela's long hair, she went back to the kitchen.

"Nice girl," Nerissa said airily, fiddling with the salt and pepper on the table. "She's  
actually one of the only people who remembers your old nickname; and she's younger than me."

"She is great," Ms White agreed. "I love it when she comes here to serve. She asks about the Vocaloids all the time."

"So…she's like our fan?" Meckenzie asked.

"Of course. She's been wanting to get involved with Vocaloid since I mentioned the project ages ago to her uncle."

"So what's stopping her?" Allen wanted to know. "She seems nice enough."

Ms White's smile fell. "Things…things happened and she couldn't perform anymore. Even still, she loves to hear about you all."

The group fell silent for a moment, but as Allen knew, Riley was never one for awkward silences.

"Well, with all this attention we're bringing to this place, I doubt she'll have much time on her hands." Riley pointed to the now packed room, filled with customers all gawking at Michaela, Kyle and Meckenzie.

"Oh dear," Ms White said, hand over her mouth.

Their orders arrived and everyone dug into their food. Allen was really hungry (he hadn't had time for breakfast) but the food just didn't seem to settle in his mouth. He was too busy wondering what exactly had happened to Miki to make her not want to be a Vocaloid. He also noticed that Riley seemed to be watching him for some reason…

The Vocaloids and co. left the café soon after finishing, much to the disappointment of their curious fellow customers.

"That was yummy!" Michela sighed happily, rubbing her full stomach. "I'd like to go there again!"

"I bet you would. Of course all the people staring at you had nothing to do with how much  
you like the place though," Nerissa said grumpily, but Michaela only giggled.

"That was funny. I should go out as a Vocaloid more often!"

Nerissa shook her head disapprovingly, turning to Ms White and Teto.

"You see what you've done now? You've created a monster," Nerissa complained.

Teto laughed and Ms White was too happy to care about Nerissa's gripes.

"This is really good. If we can take Michaela and the others out in public more wearing their Vocaloid costumes, then we could get people interested in the Vocaloid project."

"We could make posters!" Michaela suggested, "telling people to come to our shows!"

"Do some public performances in the streets to lure people in," Kyle added.

"Like a live show in the park!" Meckenzie joined in, excited as the rest of them.

"If you want to look like technicolour circus freaks, that is," Nerissa cut in.

Allen laughed along with the rest of them as they walked back to the Vocaloid HQ, but at the back of his mind he was still thinking about what Ms White had said about Miki. Why couldn't she perform? She reminded Allen of Michaela with her confident attitude and what not. So why?

Somewhere along the way, his sister had fallen into step with Allen and they were walking together.

"You're thinking about that girl Miki, aren't you?" she said. Allen gave a small nod, eyes to the ground.

"Did you notice anything strange about her?"

Allen looked over to his twin's serious face. "No…"

Riley bit her lip, frowning. "She didn't have human arms and legs. She has prosthetic limbs."

Allen's eyes widened. "Do you think…" he trailed off and Riley narrowed her eyes.

"I do. She must've gotten into some accident and that's why she can't become a Vocaloid."  
Allen felt cold, and not just because of the nearing winter wind. He glanced up at the grey, cloudy sky, taking it in.

"Poor kid…"


	10. Chapter 9: With Friends Like These

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**With Friends Like These... **

"I can't believe you're doing this." Allen said, watching Kyle fiddle with his newly blue hair.

"I can't believe _I'm_ doing this," he replied, smiling.

They were at the Vocaloid HQ (okay, Allen had caught on to the new name) and Allen and Riley were waiting while Kyle, Meckenzie and Michaela were turned into their Vocaloid selves. Ms White had organised a public performance for them outside the town mall. The idea was to attract an audience and then hand out fliers that Riley and Michaela had made to spread the Vocaloid word further.

Michaela sat down next to Allen, carrying her twintails so that they wouldn't hit him. She opened her plastic water bottle and took a sip.

"You nervous?" Allen asked when she had finished.

"Of course, I'm shaking all over!" Michaela laughed. "But I'm excited too."

"I feel nervous and I'm not even going to be performing," Allen said jokingly and smiled at her. It was easier to talk to Michaela now, and he was getting used to her big, shiny  
eyes making his heart race a little. Now he talked to her whenever he could.

Nerissa came over to Michaela to fix up her wig. "Be careful not to trip on these, or the whole thing will fall off."

Michaela nodded. "Got it."

Then Nerissa looked at Allen, who instantly cowered a little.

"W-what?" Allen admitted to himself that he was a bit frightened by Nerissa.

"Did anyone tell you that you seriously need a haircut?" she asked bluntly.

"Actually, yes," Allen confessed, remembering Riley making a similar remark.

Nerissa sighed irritably and left them.

"She's a little…" Michaela began.

"Scary?" Allen finished.

"Not exactly," Michaela shook her head, "she's like…well, actually yeah, she is totally scary and creepy. But I think there's more to her and there's a reason why she's so grumpy  
all the time."

"You think so?" Allen stole a look at Nerissa who was straightening Kyle's coat and telling him not to fidget.

"Sure," Michaela said hopefully. Allen admired her optimism, but he wasn't sure if he agreed with Michaela or not. Nerissa hadn't exactly been treating him kindly since he had arrived.

He shook the thoughts away when Ms White gathered them all up to leave. They would be taking two cars—Ms White's and Annabelle's. He, Kyle, Meckenzie and Riley would be going in Annabelle's car while Nerissa and Michaela would be travelling in Ms White's car. Michaela's hair alone took up much of the backseat so everyone was thankful they wouldn't have to be squished. Michaela waved to him as they went to their separate vehicles.

"See you at the mall!" she called out and Allen gave a bashful wave goodbye.

Kyle and Meckenzie were already sitting in the back of Annabelle's car and Allen was about to follow them when Riley pushed past him and scrambled into the seat. She folded her arms and stared pointedly at the front seat. Allen sighed and sat next to Annabelle at the front.

No matter how happy she was, Riley was still refusing to talk to Annabelle. Allen was doubtful that even with everything that was going on around them, some things would ever change.

Annabelle seemed to be learning and didn't try to make a conversation with Riley, knowing that it would probably start a fight. She simply talked to Allen every now and then. Riley was occupied with chatting to Kyle and Meckenzie, freely laughing and joking with them. He wished he could do that. Allen was making steady progress with becoming friends with Michaela, but he still wasn't completely comfortable with the other Vocaloids. They weren't cold to him like Nerissa was, but they were definitely more Riley's friends then this.

As Annabelle parked near the front of the town mall, Allen could see Michaela waving at them. He and his travelling companions quickly joined her in setting up the performing area for the Vocaloids. There wasn't much to it.

"What is _that?_" Riley asked, looking at the small, wooden box that Ms White was placing on the ground.

Ms White said simply, "Our stage."

Riley started to laugh and Meckenzie had to donk her on the head to get her to shut up.  
"It's better than nothing at least," Meckenzie said. "How do we start this thing?"

"With these!" Kyle said proudly, putting down a shabby speaker set and a microphone.

"Well they're…practical, I guess." Michaela shrugged, not wanting to hurt anybody's feelings.

"They belong to Peaches and Uta, who've kindly let us borrow them," Ms White explained.

"Hey, where's Mim? And Teto for that matter?" Meckenzie asked suddenly. "You'd think they'd want to come to the first new Vocaloid performance even if it is in front of a mall."

"Mim's still looking for some adult members to join the Vocaloids," Annabelle said sadly. "She won't stop until she at least finds somebody."

"You mean we're not good enough for her?" Riley said, hands on her hips.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Annabelle said hastily.

"And Teto?" Allen asked, wanting to the cut the potential argument short.

"She's working on outfits for you and Riley," Nerissa said over her shoulder as she set up the microphone and made sure the stand wouldn't fall over. "They're more detailed than she originally planned, so they're taking almost as long to make as Michaela's costume did."  
"Detailed sounds good," Riley said, perking up instantly. Allen wasn't so sure though…  
"What about our alias names?" Meckenzie asked. "We're not exactly recognizable in these outfits, and I kinda like the idea of having a secret identity."

"I couldn't think of anything for my name." Kyle said, looking shamefaced.

"Peaches and Uta had suggestions for you two. Since you sing well together, they came up with some names that could fit your partnership, if you will."

Meckenzie raised her eyebrow. "Let's hear them then."

"Meckenzie, as Leon and Lola were big fans of Japan, Peaches suggested a Japanese name for you; Meiko." Ms White told her.

"Sweet, I like it. What does it mean?"

"Flower bud."

"What! I get a dipsy meaning like that? What does that even _mean_?!"

"The potential to bloom into a beautiful flower."

"But that's silly! How can I be compared to something like a flower?"

"I think it suits you," Kyle said sweetly. "Besides, you said you liked the sound of it."

"Exactly." Ms White nodded. "Right now, Meckenzie, you are not Meiko. You are Meckenzie, who often acts impulsively and acts tough to solve her problems. The Vocaloid, Meiko, on the other hand is a strong, mature woman who has the wonderful gift to bring people together and lead them."

Meckenzie was silent for a moment, looking unusually thoughtful.

"I could…learn to like being Meiko," she mumbled, cheeks pink. Ms White's smile grew wider.

"And for you, Kyle, Uta thought of the name Kaito, which means to soar."

"To soar…?" Kyle looked worried, "I'm not going to be expected to fly over the roof, am I?"

Riley snickered and Nerissa rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"I think it could have a meaning similar to Meckenzie's alias. Being a Vocaloid could help expand your potential to become someone like Kaito," Ms White said.

"My, you're full of it," Nerissa said, putting her finger in her mouth and pretending to throw up.

"I'd like to be Kaito." Kyle grinned briefly, then his scared expression returned. "But…no flying, alright?"

Ms White and Annabelle chuckled.

"No promises."

-

Twenty minutes in and 'Meiko' wasn't getting much of a crowd. After warming up she had started slowly with one or two simple songs that the people passing by ignored. Discomforted, she tried some stronger songs, but unfortunately most of the attention she was drawing was from the male crowd and Allen didn't think they were enjoying her singing so much as her short skirt.

"I feel silly!" she said, putting the microphone back in its stand and stomping off the mini-stage. "These people don't want to hear my singing at all!"

"I'll say!," Kyle said, surprisingly dark as his narrowed eyes followed the perverted men as they left.

Meckenzie sat down on the pavement, back resting against the brick wall, looking peeved.

"I don't feel like Meiko," she grumbled. "Meiko wouldn't be ignored."

"I wouldn't say you were ignored exactly…" Allen said, keeping an eye on Kyle to make sure he didn't run off after the drooling men and beat them over the head.

Meckenzie slumped further, her anger visibly draining and being replaced with disappointment.

"I thought maybe I'd at least get some listeners…" Meckenzie's dark brown eyes were distressed. Allen felt a pang of sympathy for her and was glad to see Michaela sliding down next to her to pat her on the arm.

"I'm not sure," Ms White said unhappily. "I should've expected this to happen but I…."  
She trailed off, looking as forlorn as Meckenzie.

"Am I doing something wrong?" Meckenzie asked, with a touch of vulnerability in her voice.

"Of course not!" Kyle objected instantly. "These people just don't know a great singer when they hear one!"

Everyone stared at him, shocked by his heated words, especially Meckenzie whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Kyle turned pink and began stuttering. Annabelle coughed to ease the tension.

"Why don't you have a go, Kyle?" she suggested. "Maybe you'll have better luck."  
He didn't. After another twenty minutes of trying and Kyle had done worse than Meckenzie. The only looks he'd received were directed to his bright blue hair. He stepped down, equally disappointed, but trying for a smile anyway.

"So what now? This crowd isn't biting." He sprawled on the ground near Meckenzie and began to fiddle with his blue cotton scarf.

"You could say that again," Nerissa said, rubbing her hands together for warmth in the cold autumn wind. "If anything, they're actually purposely heading in the other direction  
when they see us."

"I didn't exactly need to hear that," growled Meckenzie, who hadn't moved since she sat down.

"Hey, I'm just saying what everybody's thinking," Nerissa retorted. "We all know this expedition is going to shi―"

"Shut up!" Meckenzie stood up so suddenly that she startled Kyle who gave a squeak. Michaela looked flabbergasted. Allen almost jumped out of his skin as well as out of the way as Meckenzie, wearing a dangerously angry expression, stalked over to Nerissa, getting right up in her face.

"You have done _nothing_ but complain and whine since we joined the Vocaloid project. You're spiteful and mean-spirited and cut us down for no reason. Frankly, you have no right to be so mean to anyone of us because the only thing you've done to benefit this project is give us a haircut."

Nerissa scrunched up her nose, about to open her mouth, but Meckenzie was like a speeding train. Nothing could stop her now from going off at Nerissa.

"You constantly insult us and never have anything good to say to any of us. I can handle most of the jabs at me, but trying that on the other kids? I don't think so. We're a team and the last thing I'm gonna do is let you push my friends around with your _bitching_."

"Meckenzie!" Ms White hissed, but Meckenzie gave no indication that she had heard her.

Nerissa's hazel eyes were practically flaming now and her jaw was locked.

"_I've_ done nothing to benefit this group?! You're the one who can't even scramble together a few measly people to listen to your pathetic songs!"

"Nerissa!" Ms White whispered fiercely, but again, she was ignored. A small, curious crowd was forming, all wondering if it was some public stunt.

"You take that back." Meckenzie threatened, her voice low and scary. Wearing her high-heeled boots she was more than a head taller than Nerissa and this gave her an advantage  
in looking intimidating.

"No way," Nerissa snarled, glaring straight up at Meckenzie, not fazed at all.  
Meckenzie took a step back and to everyone's surprise began to smirk.

"What's your _real_ reason for hating us Vocaloids so much? We haven't done anything to you. None of us knew you before we got involved and I doubt you would've harassed us if we weren't in the project. What makes us so special? Have we got something you haven't?"

The last question seemed to strike a nerve and Meckenzie's smirk grew wider, knowing she had won.

"I'm going home," Nerissa stated, barely audibly. She turned on her heel and stomped off. As Allen watched her figure get smaller and smaller and he felt some intangible pull to follow her. Before he could take two steps, Ms White gently stopped him and gave him a look to say that'd she do it. She gave another speaking look to Annabelle who nodded firmly. Ms White grabbed her keys and went off after Nerissa and the small group of spectators melted away into the crowd.

"_Whoooooooo_!" Riley whistled. "Boy, that was heavy!"

"Meckenzie, I think you went too far," Annabelle said to her. Meckenzie shrugged.

"I had to. It was bugging me so much that she felt that she could push us around. I mean, she's the same age as me and Kyle, what makes her think that she's superior?"

"I suppose you're right," Annabelle said quietly, eyebrows furrowed showing she was thinking.

"Besides," Meckenzie continued, "I gotta look out for my fellow Vocaloids. No one messes with you guys on my watch."

Allen, Kyle, Michaela and Riley all grinned. Allen was especially happy.

She cared about him. They all did. He had people who cared about him; people that he knew would cover his back.

It was a great feeling.

"Should we pack up now?" Riley wondered.

"Michaela still hasn't had her go," Kyle said, squeezing the teal-haired girl's shoulder.  
"I'll go!" she replied, cheerfully, making her twintails bounce.

Smoothing her Vocaloid outfit, Michaela hopped onto the stage. There was a bit of a delay while she stuffed around with the microphone, which she had to pull down several inches due to the height difference between her and Kyle, who'd used it last.

"Um, uh, hi!" she said once she turned the microphone on. "My name is Hatsune Miku and I will be performing for you now!"

"Great name," Kyle said admiringly.

"Isn't it?" Annabelle replied. "We figured we'd slap a last name on her alias too."

"What does it mean?" asked Allen.

"Well…" Annabelle scratched her chin, "Japanese most definitely isn't my strong point but Peaches told me it roughly translates to 'the first sound of the future'; whatever that means."

"I like it," said Meckenzie.

"Me too," Allen agreed, "but why is she called the first sound? She isn't―"

"Shh! She's about to sing!" Riley hushed him, tugging on his arm in excitement.

The background music began to play and Michaela started singing the first line.

_"I'm the number one princess in the whole wide world, know how to treat me that waaay…"_

"She's doing her crazy high notes again," Riley said, impressed. Allen was beyond impressed. Although he had heard her sing since her audition he was still in awe. Not just of her singing but of how alive and animated she was on stage. If she was nervous you certainly couldn't tell and she did the whole performance with a big smile on her face.  
In this song she portrayed a spoiled girl who bullied her crush and ordered him around when all she really wanted was for him to notice her and say he loved her. It was a really odd song for Michaela, and Riley and Meckenzie had rolled about laughing when they heard the sweet Michaela become the nasty princess. Whatever, Michaela was really enjoying herself on stage.

No, not Michaela.

When she put on that wig and sang she became Hatsune Miku.

Best of all, a crowd was forming. A big one. And this time it had nothing to do with prurient interest in a short skirt or a scuffle between team members. They were there for Miku's presence and voice.

And they were _loving_ it.

Miku's vibrant and energetic performing paid off as people drew around her, some cheering her on, others simply gawking at the strangely dressed teenager.

When she did a twirl, she caught his eye and Allen could swear he was looking at someone completely different. He couldn't see Michaela at all. Only Miku. She gave him a sly wink, spinning around again to face her audience. The song finished on yet another long high note and people roared with applause and scuffled through their wallets for change.

Meckenzie acted quicker than the rest of them and rushed forward with a handful of fliers.

"No, no! We don't want your money—take this!" she said and the others snapped out of it and joined her in handing out the fliers.

"Who are you people?" one person asked.

"We're Vocaloids!" Miku said.

"What's a Vocaloid? Where did you come from?" Questions started flowing and they all tried  
their best to answer them.

"We're a new singing group; set up in honour of the magnificent Leon and Lola Lloyd!"

"Please come to our upcoming show! Support the cause for remembrance of the first Engloids!"

"Hey! Hands off the merchandise!" Meckenzie snapped when people started to try and touch Miku's wig.

"What are your names?"

Kyle, Meckenzie and Miku exchanged glances.

"I'm Meiko!"

"I'm Kaito!"

"I'm Hatsune Miku!"

"And we are Vocaloids!" they all said together.

-

Ms White had returned and was parking her car as the crowd drifted away, every single one of them clutching a Vocaloid flier. She did a double-take when she heard the word 'Vocaloid' fall off several lips.

"I'm so proud of you," Ms White said with a tear in her eye. Michaela/Miku hugged her, carefully, to avoid entangling care Ms White's slender person in her blue-green locks.  
"All of you."

Kyle beamed, but Meckenzie was noticeably quiet. Allen hoped he was just imagining it and he didn't have much time to think because Riley was jumping up and down and yelling in his ear excitedly.

"How's Nerissa?" Annabelle asked the inevitable and now everybody was quiet. Ms White shifted uncomfortably.

"I took her home. She didn't say anything to me."

"Is she mad?" asked Michaela.

Ms White gave a huge sigh and rubbed her temple.

"You have no idea…"

They packed up and headed home celebrating to their victory, though Meckenzie was still looking a little disheartened. Miku took off her wig so she could sit with her friends in the car; transforming back into Michaela.

"Everything all right, Meckenzie?"she asked, "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah of course I am…" Meckenzie said, looking out the car window.

"Then what's wrong?" Kyle probed as he strapped himself into the seat beside Michaela.

Meckenzie gave them a long, unreadable look.

"I _am_ really happy that the Vocaloid project has started so well but I just wish it was me who…" Meckenzie stopped herself. "…never mind. I'm happy for you, Michaela."

"Thanks, Meckenzie!" Michaela said warmly as she leant over and gave her a hug.

Allen was still outside the car while this went down and was about to take his place in the front seat of Annabelle's car when a gentle voice prodded his ears.

"Allen?"

Allen turned around and saw Ms White. "Yes, miss?"

"Would you like me to drive you home? There is something I want to talk to you about."

"Uh...sure?" Allen was confused as to why Ms White suddenly wanted him, but he would go along with it, nonetheless.

Riley was extremely grouchy about having to sit up the front with Annabelle, but Kyle, Meckenzie and Michaela were all settled in the back and they weren't planning on moving. After a lot more grumbling, Riley finally sat her butt in the seat, but refused to look at Annabelle. For once, Annabelle was too happy to notice.

Allen walked over to Ms White's car where she was waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" she said, her voice as soft and musical as ever. It was a sound that Allen had missed.

"Yeah."

Ms White smiled and held open the passenger door for him.

"After you."

-

It was quiet in Ms White's car and she drove slowly through traffic. It was very different from riding with Annabelle. Annabelle was always moving around, tapping her long manicured fingers, humming a tune, and using traffic light stops to fix her hair or check her teeth. Ms White sat relaxed at the wheel, her reddish-brown eyes looking out for other cars. She didn't hum, but she had the radio on, albeit turned down so low Allen had to strain to hear the classical music. But still, she glanced at Allen every now and then, giving him that special smile she had been giving him for about a month.

A month…

It was a month ago that Allen had lain under the big autumn tree and found the wall that held so many secrets and treasures just waiting for him to discover. A month ago Allen would have never imagined he'd be where he was today.

And when he really got down to it, it was all thanks to Ms White that he had joined the Vocaloid project. She had been the one to encourage him, to support him, to pick him up from the dirty leaves and give him a whole new outlook on his life.

When Ms White was around, Allen truly believed in magic.

"It's been a while since we've been able to chat, hasn't it?" Ms White mused.

"Yeah!" Allen admitted, "I've just been so caught up with...well everything that I kind of forgot about how you brought me to the Vocaloids in the first place."

"Oh, Allen," Ms White chuckled, "I hardly did anything. It was you who decided to join and make yourself a Vocaloid. I only gave you a push."

"I'm glad you did."

"Me too."

They shared a companiable silence and didn't speak again until they reached a red light.

"Allen…" Ms White began, taking a big breath as if it was taking all her energy to speak to him.

"Yes, Miss?"

"I hope you know that I acknowledge you as one of the best students I've ever had the pleasure to teach."

"Really?" said Allen, genuinely surprised.

Ms White nodded. "Absolutely. That's why I hope you will understand me when I say this."

"What, Miss?" Her worried tone was making Allen anxious. Was he failing Art and she was trying to break it to him as gently as possible? Or was it even worse? Had he broken any rules lately? He had skipped (by accident) two lessons when he fell asleep and met Michaela after school. Oh no, was he going to be expelled?

"There's no reason to look so tense, Allen," Ms White assured him. "I just wanted to talk to you about Nerissa."

"Nerissa?" Now he was _really_ confused!

"Yes. I wanted you to know that Nerissa isn't as mean as you and the others make her out to be."

"Then why does she always bully us?" The red sphere on the traffic light turned a bright emerald green and Ms White pushed on the accelerator to move forward in the traffic whilst shaking her head slowly.

"That's not for me to say. After what happened today I just wanted you to know that she isn't completely horrible. Nerissa is really close to me and I find it such a shame that people never spend the time to get to know her. I think with your help, and some good will from the others that could possibly change."

Allen played with his fringe, thinking it all over. Ms White mistook his silence for  
anger.

"It's not that I agree with how she's been treating you all," she said hastily. "I only believe that maybe you can help her."

"But she hates us Vocaloids!" he cried out.

Ms White frowned and looked at him.

"She doesn't. Believe me, Allen, she doesn't."

He couldn't say anything after that because they had pulled up at his house. He got out and watched as she drove away, confused and tired.

-

Allen hadn't felt like dressing up in years. After all, he sort of had to grow up after his dad died; even before that really, when his mum left. Either way, it had been a while since he'd had the pleasure of pulling on a costume and transforming into somebody completely different.

That's what was running through his head when, a week after their visit to the shopping centre, he held his new Vocaloid outfit out in front of him. It was the same sort of gig as the Hatsune Miku outfit—like a futuristic cyber-tech school uniform.

It consisted of a sailor outfit top, complete with a yellow tie. There were two attachable sleeves that had robotic markings on them and a matching pair that he wore over his calves. He wore long, yellow-striped black shorts that brushed his knee caps and comfortable white slip-on shoes. Riley got a feminine version of his outfit, with a sailor shirt cut short to show her stomach, a big bow instead of a tie and short-shorts instead of baggy pants. Other than the gender styling, it was the most they had looked like twins in a long time.

"This is so cool!" Riley said, doing a full turn in front of the big mirror to check herself out.

"Yeah..." Allen said, unable to form a full sentence. He felt goose-bumps on his decorated arms and butterflies in his stomach.

The other Vocaloids seemed equally happy with their latest Vocaloid partners. But Nerissa wasn't so impressed.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not going to be content with this kid's look until I give him his way-overdue haircut!"

"My what?" Allen said, with a look of horror painted on his face as she approached him.  
Nerissa marched right over to Allen and dragged him by the arm towards a chair.

"Sit," Nerissa commanded. He sat, without saying anything. Even if Meckenzie stood up to her, Allen sure wasn't going to try. He knew very well that she could floor him in a second.

She wrapped a towel over his neck so tightly it was practically a noose and reached for her haircutting scissors. Still, he said nothing and sat frozen with fear.  
Sharp, pointy objects in the hands of an angry Nerissa were enough for him to want to wet his new pants.

"Nerissa, are you sure about this?" Ms White said, coming over a bit closer to the armed blonde.

"Of course. I did Meckenzie's hair and Kyle's hair, didn't I?" she snapped, twitching when she said Meckenzie's name.

"And turned Kyle's hair bright _blue_," Riley reminded her. Nerissa glared at her but didn't say anything. She grabbed a hunk of Allen's hair, making his head tilt back.

"Now stay still if you want to keep that neck of yours," Nerissa hissed in his ear, not loud enough for the others to hear. Allen gulped, starting to break out in a cold sweat as he nodded.

Nerissa started snipping off the ends of his hair, but found she didn't have much scope.  
With an eye-roll she fetched a hairbrush and began a vain attempt to ease the numerous tangles in his hair. But after years of neglect, Allen's hair was an entire mess of knots, dry-ends and golden clumps.

Nerissa's efforts with the brush got a lot more vigorous. After one particularly vicious attack, Allen finally broke his silence to yell out in pain.

"Nerissa, you're hurting him!" Ms White stepped even closer and put a restraining hand on Nerissa's arm, but Nerissa shook her off.

The brush was now completely stuck in Allen's haystack hair.

After a few mercilessly violent tugs to free her beloved hairbrush and several shameful squeals from Allen, Nerissa put her foot on his shoulder for leverage and pulled back as hard as she could.

Allen began to holler, wondering if the skin on top of his head was going to be ripped off. Nerissa kept pulling until they both heard a sickening snap and Nerissa tumbled backwards, slamming her head against the wall.

To his relief it wasn't Allen's neck that had made the snap but the hairbrush that had been split into two. The brush part was still lodged in his hair while Nerissa was left with a snapped off bit of stick.

Rubbing his smarting head, Allen got up off the chair to check on Nerissa who was rubbing her own head where it had collided with the wall. When she saw the broken brush in her hands she gave Allen the dirtiest of looks.

"You broke my favourite brush, idiot!" Nerissa exclaimed as she lunged for him. Allen covered his face, preparing for her punch, but instead felt the immense pain of her renewed effort to remove the piece of brush still embedded in his wild locks.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! _Ow_!" he yelped, sure his head was going to be torn off along with her brush.  
This time Ms White managed to grab hold of Nerissa and stop her.

"That's enough," she said and then looked at Allen, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…" Allen had his fingers touch the brush that was practically swallowed by his hair.

"That's in there pretty deep," Michaela said, having gotten up to check on him. Riley, Kyle and Meckenzie were too busy giggling at the funny sight. Teto was already past that; she was keeping a hand on the counter so as not to fall over laughing.

"I told you you were a sheepdog, sheepdog!" Riley remarked, holding her stomach while laughing harder.

"Maybe we should just leave it?" said Annabelle, worried for her stepson's health.

"We can't leave half of a brush stuck in his hair," Nerissa said, having calmed down a little thanks to Ms White. "I'm going to cut around it to get it out and then I'll have to even it out."

"He's not going to be bald is he?" Michaela asked.

"If he behaves then no." Nerissa answered, motioning for Allen to sit in his seat again. He did, his head still reeling a little.

To his surprise, when Nerissa calmed down she was actually gentle with him, slowly cutting and when her fingers brushed the nape of his neck he felt a shiver run up and down his spine. It felt nice until she poked him hard in the back and told him to quit squirming.  
She carefully and smoothly cut around the brush and, after a worryingly long amount of snipping, she was able to reach in and pull it out.

"That's a lot of hair on the floor..." Riley said and everyone's eyes fell to the carpet where it seemed half of his hair lay.

"I guess you probably want me to even it out now, right?" Nerissa said with a sigh.  
"Yes, please."

With a resigned shrug, she took hold of Allen's head again and got to work on evening what was left of Allen's hair, while the other Vocaloids waited patiently on the outcome and Annabelle cleaned the carpet of gold clumps.

After a few minutes, Nerissa let him stand up and look in the mirror. He gasped.  
He had known his head felt a lot lighter and his neck was now bare but he hadn't expected it to turn out so…good.

Nerissa had given him bangs that, with the gel she supplied, were spiky and out at an odd but really cool angle. Now Allen had less of a mane at the back too but there was still just enough for Nerissa to be able to pile it up into a miniature ponytail.

And the best thing was that when Allen took the towel off, his new hair went way better with his costume then his old one.

"Ooooh…" Riley cooed. "Me next!"

"But your hair is fine, Riley." Michaela pointed out, puzzled.

Riley pouted her lips, "So? It's not fair that you all get to have a haircut and I don't!"  
"But you said so yourself that when Kyle got his hair style it turned blue," Meckenzie reminded her.

"And I just wear a wig. I don't think I could handle having a hairstyle like that for too long. I mean, how would I manage in a place like a shower?" Michaela added.  
Allen shut his brain up from imagining Michaela in the shower and focused on his sister who wasn't giving up on wanting a haircut from Nerissa. After a bit more whining, Nerissa snapped and caved in.

A couple of minutes later and Riley had gotten a style similar to Meckenzie's bob, except that Nerissa had made the ends a bit spiky to match Allen's and given her a thick fringe that dipped over one eye.

"I'm blind!" Riley screamed, flailing her hands. Nerissa was not amused and Riley pushed her new hair back just in time to yelp, seeing Nerissa reach for her again. Thankfully it was only to put in two thick white hair pins so the fringe stayed in place and that seemed to please Riley. Finally finished with her work, Nerissa collapsed into a nearby chair, giving yet another sigh.

"You look so sweet!" Michaela said, taking a hold of Riley's hands. The two started to jump up and down on the spot in a girly fashion. Allen didn't watch this for too long as he felt a tug on his new ponytail, and spinning around defensively, found Meckenzie.  
"You're not too bad yourself, shortie," she complimented and Kyle gave him the thumbs up.  
Hearing this, Riley let go of Michaela and walked over to them. "Yeah, but now I can't call him sheep-dog anymore; ruined my fun."

The four of them shared a laugh that felt really good to Allen. He had done a lot of laughing lately, or had been around it for the last couple of days. He hoped it stayed.

-

He didn't feel like laughing when he went to school the next day. It was winter now and frost was already on the ground. The leaves had fallen and got turned into mush if someone didn't sweep them away. It was bitingly cold and Allen was almost starting to wish that he had his old hairstyle back as it covered his ears, nape and lots of his face. With just a ponytail, he was extremely exposed to the bitter elements.

He had gotten a couple of looks― and quite a lot of them were from girls― and people were being a little more sociable with him now, which was very strange for him.

"Hey sissy-boy!"

Well, almost everyone. Sometimes the new look caught unwanted attention.  
Allen groaned and looked over his shoulder to see three senior boys sneering at him.

"You called?" Allen said, his breath coming out in a white fog. He wasn't in the mood for these guys.

"Nice haircut, sissy-boy!" one of them smirked. "You turning gay on us or somethin'?"  
Although he probably shouldn't have, Allen took the bait.

"No."

And then he turned and started to walk away from them. But he wasn't fast enough. He felt a shove in the small of his back and tumbled forward, only just managing to stop himself from crashing onto the slippery ground, his bag slipping off his shoulder in the process.

"We aren't done with you yet, sissy-boy!" another one of them jeered, laughing with his mates.

Allen steadied himself and went to face them.

"My name is Allen," he said steadily, trying to be assertive like his lively friends, but he couldn't ignore his heart pounding in his chest.

"_Ooooooo_," they all whistled, coming into a circle around him. "Okay, sissy-boy."

"Leave me alone," Allen continued, trying to get away. One of the boys stepped in front of him.

"Leaving so soon, sissy-boy? What, gonna get your nails painted next?" the guy who seemed to be the leader said, while giving him another shove so he fell back towards the other guy, who pushed him over to his other friend, who thrust him back to the leader. The game continued with Allen being tossed between the three of them. He tried to find an escape or exit, but they were bigger, stronger and tougher then he was. He could feel bruises appearing on his arms where they caught him and tossed him. He couldn't get his footing and the whole world seemed to be spinning, stars forming in his eyes, and all the while the three seniors laughed and yelled at him.

"Oi, cut it out!" A new voice cut in. The torturous game paused and the leader squeezed Allen's arms tight making him wince.

"Who are you?" one of the boys asked, sounding half curious and half scared; and so they should've been Allen thought when he saw an all-too-familiar blonde standing a few feet away from them.

"Someone you don't want to mess with," Nerissa growled, holding up her fists. "Drop the kid."

The boys were at least twice her size, but the threatening tone in her voice made them quiver for a moment before the leader regained his composure. He threw Allen onto the ground at his feet. Without time to shield his face and shoulder, Allen met painfully with the cement.

"You need your girlfriend to fight your fights, eh, sissy-boy?" the leader mocked cruelly,  
but his eyes were on the fierce-looking Nerissa.

Allen had barely managed to lift his head, dazed. "N-Nerissa?"

"I won't tell you again," Nerissa warned, taking a fighting stance. "Leave the kid and  
beat it."

The leader laughed and the other two followed suit, shakily.

"Tough chick, huh? She's got more balls than you, sissy-boy!"

Nerissa narrowed her golden-hazel eyes.

Two seconds later, the leader was on his knees, howling, with his hands over his crotch. He swore, biting his lip.

"I warned you," Nerissa said simply and then locked her scary eyes on the other boys. They jumped and took a few steps away from her.

"If you don't want to end up like your pathetic tool of a friend, I would recommend you leaving Allen alone from now on. Got it?"

She didn't need to tell them twice and they scrambled out of there, their leader wobbling behind them.

Allen was in utter shock as he watched Nerissa walk over to him, grab him by the shoulders and heave him up. She let go of him almost instantly and crossed her arms.

She had called him Allen…

"W-what was that?!" Allen exclaimed, "You just took out one of the toughest guys at our school!"

"That poser?!" Nerissa scoffed. "He was nothing. Heck, you'd probably be a better match than him."

Allen blinked, astonished.

"Was that a compliment?"

Nerissa flushed, looking away angrily.

"Don't get the wrong idea, idiot. I didn't do that thing back there for you. I just can't stand losers like that and he was asking for it."

"Uhm, okay." Allen rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what to say.

"You…you're alright, aren't you?" Nerissa muttered, still not looking at him.

"Yeah, a lot better then I would've been if you weren't here." Then he thought for a moment. "Wait, why _are_you here?"

Nerissa looked relieved at the subject change. "I'm here to see Clare." Seeing his confused expression, she rolled her eyes.

"Clare is Ms White, dumbass," she explained. "Anyways, I sometimes come to visit her to check up on stuff and I managed to find you on the way by pure chance."

"Right…" Allen shuffled awkwardly.

Nerissa gave another irritated sigh and started to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" he called out. She half-looked back at him, annoyed.

"What is it, idiot?"

"Er…thanks? For saving me, I mean. It was really nice of you."

Surprise flickered in Nerissa's eyes for a second and her cheeks pinkened, but she shook her head and practically ran away from him.

"Don't get used to it, idiot."

Allen picked his bag up when she left, thinking.

Did…did he just make friends with Nerissa?


	11. Chapter 10: Piece of Cake

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**Piece of Cake **

Allen felt drained after his experience at school. He was glad to unlock his front door and was looking forward to escaping to his room, but that wasn't an option when Annabelle saw the state of him.

"Oh Allen!" she gasped from the kitchen, dropping her hand cloth. "What on earth happened to you?"

Dang. He'd been hoping that he could just sneak past Annabelle and get to his room undetected so he could do something about his scruffy look. No such luck.

She came over and looked him up and down. "Did you have a fall?"

Allen wasn't sure what to say.

"You don't get beaten up by falling," asserted Riley, who'd suddenly appeared in the room.  
"Who did this to you?"

"No one! And I didn't get beaten up just…"

Annabelle and Riley looked at him expectantly.

"...tossed around a little bit," he finished.

"You poor thing," Annabelle said sympathetically. "I'll get the first-aid kit."

She hurried out of the room and up the stairs. Riley stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"No one, huh?" she said, then reached forward and squeezed his arm. He winced when her fingers pressed over his bruises. "I'll say it again, who did this to you?"

"It was just some guys at school," Allen said, brushing her off. "I'm fine; it wasn't that big of a deal."

Riley raised her eyebrows so far up her forehead they disappeared into her fringe.

"Not that big of a deal?" she echoed. "I'm sorry, but nobody messes with my baby bro except me!"

Allen blinked. "Really?"

"Don't be dumb," Riley said in a gentler tone and took his hand. "I know that for a while before we became Vocaloids I didn't talk to you and stuff. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

Allen was astonished for the second time that day.

"I care about you too, sis."

She smiled at Allen, then let go of his hand when Annabelle returned to nurse him.  
Annabelle sat him down on the couch in the living room, which was hardly touched nowadays because their family didn't sit together any more. Kneeling beside Allen, she got out bandaids and antiseptic and was about to start applying them when she noticed Riley had left the room and was going up the stairs.

"Aren't you going to stay, Riley?" Annabelle called out hopefully. Riley paused on the stairs and then turned slightly to look back at them.

"You…want me here?" she asked slowly.

"Of course we do, sweetie!" Annabelle said. "You're a part of this family, aren't you?"

Riley bit her lip and hesitantly retraced her steps. She sat down on the opposite couch to keep a safe distance away from Annabelle and focused on watching over her brother while their step-mother dabbed at him with the antiseptic.

Allen clenched his teeth as the liquid stung and Annabelle tried to work as gently as she could. His injuries weren't too bad; he had some bruises ringing his upper arms so there was no hiding the fact that he had been grabbed roughly. The worst place was his scrape on his cheek and jaw from when he got shoved onto the cement. It was bleeding slightly and Annabelle did her best to clean it up.

"I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it," Annabelle said steadily, "but I want to know if there is the slightest chance of this happening again?"

Allen thought back to Nerissa crippling the thug leader and scaring them all off. The memory made him smile.

"I highly doubt it," Allen answered truthfully.

"That's a relief," Annabelle said, then gently grabbed his chin so he was looking in her worried eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Allen?

Allen glanced at Riley, who looked equally concerned, and then back at Annabelle.  
"I will be now."

-

Allen didn't understand girls at all.

Okay, well that was nothing new, but he _really_ didn't understand them this time round.

It had been over a week since the mall incident and Meckenzie and Nerissa still weren't  
talking to each other. Neither of them mentioned the fight and it seemed that there was no resolution. It made the whole atmosphere seem awkward and tense to Allen.

"Girls," Kyle chuckled when Allen told him, "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."

At least he was getting along with Kyle who never seemed to have a problem with anyone. It was very hard not to instantly feel comfortable with him. Kyle had advised him not get involved in the aftermath of Meckenzie's and Nerissa's fight and to keep his mouth shut if he didn't want his jugular torn out.

Allen at first thought this was a bit extreme, but when he'd tried to speak to Nerissa at one point she'd given him a look that could have curdled milk. After that Allen was willing to agree with Kyle and sit safely on the sidelines for the most part.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we're the only guys here," Kyle said, "And that means that we gotta hold our own against the ladies."

Allen thought about this and replied cheekily,

"Like you do against Meckenzie?"

Kyle stuck his tongue out at him and gave him a friendly shove.

Allen had to admit, though, that while he didn't mind hanging out with the girls (when he could get up the courage to), it was good to have another boy around. He couldn't exactly join in the girls' talks about make-up and what colours would match their Vocaloid outfits or bring out their eyes. Kyle was stupid enough to attempt that once and got a boot to the butt from Meckenzie as she kicked him out of the girls' changing room. He said it was worth it though.

"You've got your own battle-scars," Kyle said, flicking a finger at the plaster on Allen's cheek. "What'd ya do, tell your sister she's getting squishy around the middle?"

"Something like that," Allen said vaguely. Truth was he still hadn't quite gotten the scene where Nerissa saved his hide out of his head.

Every now and then he would sneak a peek at her, trying to figure out what was going on inside the (as Meckenzie crudely put it) emotionally constipated girl's head.  
So far, Allen had got nothing, except a sharply questioning look back whenever Nerissa caught him.

Still, Allen didn't let this deter him away from his ever-growing crush on Michaela. Yes, Allen was able to admit (to himself) that he had a thing for turquoise girls. Sadly, this epiphany had only made it harder to talk to her. And she wasn't making it any easier by hanging around him, completely oblivious to the mini heart-attack her presence gave him.

Geez, she was pretty. Okay yeah she had that brilliant personality to go along with it, but how often do boys get to spend time with their crush while wearing a miniskirt?

The crush that is, not the boy.

Even when she wasn't Hatsune Miku she was beautiful. Those amazing blue-green eyes made Allen catch his breath every time he saw them. And that _smile._

He knew he was being cheesy but he couldn't help it. It was just like every sappy love song, every corny romance novel; the whole thing made him feel giddy.

And he couldn't really understand why his feelings were so intense because he wasn't really that close to her yet. Sure, Michaela chatted with him at warm-ups and made jokes during singing lessons, but he hardly knew anything about who she was when she wasn't skipping around the place, making the room brighter. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to tell her how he felt.

There was a good side to this though. Every day he spent working with the Vocaloids, he became more confident. He talked more, he laughed more and he had gained a decent set of singing pipes that he was thoroughly pleased with. True, the mere idea of singing on a stage in front of an audience still made him want to do something unspeakable in his pants. But as he trained and could hear his voice getting smoother and stronger, could feel the music flowing within him, there was a flicker of hope that maybe he actually could do it someday.

Right now, they were all at Vocaloid HQ (with take-away beverages from Ice Mountain) and Ms White was giving them the low-down on the upcoming performance they were going to give at Lloyd Hall.

"It's for the Bake 'n Take charity festival," Ms White explained, "but we thought that if we could get more people to know about Vocaloids we could hold concerts of our own. There will be other bands there too so we'll have to try and stand out."

"Oh yeah, because giant cyan pony-tails are going to blend really easily," Meckenzie joked.

Ms White shook her head, already used to Meckenzie's comments. "I just wanted to let you know that this isn't technically a Vocaloid concert. A friend of ours heard about it and suggested that we tag along. And we'll be helping a good cause."

"Hold on a sec, if we're not hosting it, why are Uta and Peaches just letting these people use the hall? I thought it was called Lloyd Hall for a reason," Riley said.

"The hall can be booked by anyone in town, Riley. Not just you Vocaloids. The problem is that not a lot of people know the origin of the name."

"But we're going to change that, right guys?" Michaela jumped up, looking eagerly at her peers. Caught up in her enthusiasm, Allen was half out of his seat and about to do…something…when Kyle beat him to it by leaping up and high-fiving Michaela.

"Of course we will! We'll blow the roof off," Kyle cheered. He held out his cup in a mock toast and Michaela followed, grinning as she clinked her plastic coffee cup against his.

Unfortunately, Michaela clinked too hard and Kyle's drink slipped from his fingers and splashed all over his top.

Kyle yelled as the hot liquid soaked him and Michaela gasped in horror at what she had done. Then the two of them caught eyes and started laughing.

Nerissa rolled her eyes. "You're dripping on the carpet, moron!" she snapped, but they didn't hear her.

Allen didn't hear her either. There was a deep pit in his stomach whenever he saw Michaela and Kyle together.

Maybe it was better that he didn't act on his feelings for Michaela after all.

Someone else had already gotten her attention.

-

"We're doing _what_ for the _what?!"_

"I'm sure it'll be fun!"

"Oh boy…"

Oh boy indeed. How did he end up in the same cooking group as Nerissa and Michaela?

His sort-of-friend and his crush.

With him.

Baking cakes for the charity festival in Michaela's house.

"You Vocaloids are already playing for this stupid festival, why should you have to cook too, and, what's worse, rope me in as well?" Nerissa protested. Michaela simply smiled and put Nerissa in her apron to her protest. Allen, feeling foolish, put his on too without looking at it.

It was pink with cherry-red stripes and had frills on the pocket. Michaela laughed a little guiltily when she saw him in it. Nerissa took the golden opportunity to take a quick shot of him on her mobile phone.

"Hey! No photos!" Allen said after she did it but the evil blonde only smirked.

"If you're going to make me bake, you're going to have to pay the price. Now the only question is which internet forum do I post such a ridiculous-looking picture on?"

"No way!" Allen's jaw dropped. He scrabbled for the phone, which Nerissa kept at arms' length.

"Not so fast. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see the newly dubbed Vocaloid: _Kagamine Len_."

Going on with the Japanese theme, Ms White and the others had chosen the names Kagamine Len and Kagamine Rin for he and his sister. Their Vocaloid names were part of the whole gimmick of them being singing twins, meaning, appropriately, mirror sound, left and right.  
Allen was now Len and Riley was now Rin. Allen wasn't sure how keen Riley was on her new name, but he heard her mutter that it was still heaps better than her real name so she didn't argue.

It was very odd thinking of Riley as his 'mirror' when nowadays they were as opposite as possible.

"I haven't even performed yet! Now gimme that phone!" Allen tried to grab it with more force. This startled Nerissa, but she managed to keep him at bay.

It was bad enough that he had to wear this god-forsakenly hideous apron in front of Michaela. He didn't want the whole world to see it too.

"At least let me swap aprons with one of you two," Allen pleaded. Nerissa shook her head and stomped down hard on his foot to get him away from her. With a yelp he hopped up and down, cradling his injured foot. Nerissa smartly put the phone away.

"Maybe I won't post it on the internet. However, I'd _love_ to give Sweet and Riley a handful of copies…"

Allen groaned and Michaela managed to step in before any more damage could be done.

"Hey guys, c'mon I want to make these cakes; let's go!" she said excitedly.

They got to work, at which point they all realised that none of them knew the first thing about making cakes.

Nerissa connected her palm with her forehead. "We're doomed."

"For once I agree with you," Allen said dejectedly, slumping forward onto the cooking table where all the ingredients for the cakes were laid out in front of him. It was like they were taunting him, awaiting his inevitable failure.

"Oh please don't give up just yet!" Michaela pleaded. "I'm sure we can do this!"

Allen knew all too well he couldn't ignore the flutter in his heart when those eyes gazed into his.

"I guess we could give this a try," he said reassuringly, instantly recovering from his gloom.

Nerissa rolled her eyes―she seemed to be doing that a lot lately―and waved her hand pathetically.

"Fine," she grumbled, "we might as well make an effort to make some stupid cakes."

"But it's for charity!" Michaela said, eyes wide. "That's not stupid."

"Sure, whatever. And child labour laws don't exist."

Allen cleared his throat. He was just thankful that he had been paired with Michaela and Nerissa instead of Meckenzie and Nerissa. Otherwise this whole thing could've gotten dangerous very quickly. Meckenzie was paired with Kyle and Riley and they were busy cooking at Riley and Allen's house.

He watched as Nerissa read out the ingredients from the cooking book that Ms White had generously left them. Michaela scurried around the kitchen to make sure they had everything.

"Isn't your family going to get a bit annoyed by all the noise we're making?" Allen asked.

"My parents are out and I'm an only child."

"You're an only child?" Nerissa echoed.

Michaela nodded. "Yep. I would've loved a bunch of sisters though."

"A whole bundle of lookalike Michaelas—imagine that." Nerissa said dryly. "I think one is enough, thank you very much."

Allen gave Nerissa a stern look for being mean, but she blatantly ignored him and picked up the cooking book again.

"Do we have any flour?"

-

Allen had once heard a saying that if you wanted an omelette, you had to break a few eggs.

Well, between the three of them, they were definitely breaking more than a few eggs and as yet there was not an omelette in sight.

Or a cake. Allen was never was one for metaphors anyways.

"Urgh!" Nerissa shouted as she crushed another egg and the yellow goo oozed around her fingers and down the length of her wrist. "I give up. How are we supposed to make a stupid cake when all we're doing is getting our hands sticky?!"

Allen peered at the cook book for the fortieth time in the past ten minutes.

"Are you sure we're doing this right? Those cooking shows always make cracking eggs look so easy."

"You watch the cooking channel?" Michaela asked, curious.

Allen flushed a little and hurriedly tried to cover his tracks. "I've seen bits once or twice when my stepmum is flipping through channels."

"Nice save," Nerissa said before squealing loudly as the remnants of the egg slid into her sleeve. "I'm going to wash my hands; where's your bathroom?"

"Upstairs on your right," Michaela answered her, but she looked confused. "We have a sink in the kitchen, why don't you just use that?"

Nerissa narrowed her eyes like a cat. "No way am I sticking around to witness any more of this disaster."

And with that, she left, abandoning Allen and Michaela to the cake making.

Several scenarios ran through his head of what could happen…alone in the room with Michaela… Nope, none of them looked like they'd turn out well. He had to get out of this, somehow―

"Hey Allen, let's keep trying to crack these eggs without making a huge mess, okay?" Michaela said and suddenly her face was extremely close to his as she leaned over to get a better look at the cooking book.

Allen was so freaked out about _the girl of his dreams practically breathing on his face_ that he overbalanced and fell off his stool, startling Michaela so much that she also fell and they both crashed onto the floor. A moment later the opened flour packet she'd knocked with a flailing arm fell right on top of them.

Allen's world was lost in a cloud of white and he coughed. In front of him was a ghost who was also coughing. Wiping some flour from his eyes, he saw it was Michaela.

"You okay?" he said, worried he had hurt her somehow.

"I'm fine," she said, shaking some flour out of her hair making him sneeze. Allen helped her brush away the powder. Michaela stared at him and giggled.

"You look like a ghost!" she said, poking his white cheek.

"So do you!" Allen laughed and poked her back. Then he sneezed again, the flour in the air making him woozy. Or that could've been Michaela.

He watched as she daintily rubbed at her nose, sneezing herself. Allen thought he could watch her forever.

It was the perfect moment for him to tell her his feelings. Or as perfect as his luck was going to allow. All he had to do was take a deep breath and…

"It's like we got snowed on!" Michaela said cheerfully, tracing circles with her finger on the flour-covered ground.

"Uhm, yeah," Allen swallowed, hard. "Michaela, there is something I want to tell you."

"What?" Michaela sobered up, seeing his serious eyes.

"I…I uh…"

Crap! Why couldn't he get the words out? Why hadn't he planned for this?!

"You two sure handled things well while I was gone," Nerissa remarked sarcastically, suddenly appearing in front of them and unknowingly saving Allen.  
Again.

"Oh hi, Nerissa!" Michaela said, lifting up her palm and blowing a floury-kiss. "Come to  
join the party?"

Nerissa sighed. "Get up. I don't care what happened here, just get this cleaned up. Then maybe do you think we could get this whole cake business over with?"

"Since when were you willing to help us anyway?" Allen retorted, standing up and brushing himself down. "You weren't exactly jumping at the chance five minutes ago."

Nerissa took out a cleaning brush and pan. "Don't get your hopes up, kid. I just don't want to be embarrassed by you when we eventually have to try and sell these silly cakes."

She thrust the cleaning utensils into his hands. "Now clean. I don't want you anywhere near this cake."

Allen looked at Michaela who was already attempting to crack eggs again. She certainly wasn't going to be able to help him. He looked back at Nerissa.

"But I―"

Nerissa gave him one of the fiercest glares he had ever seen. He dropped his shoulders, defeated.

"Fine," he said and crouching at Nerissa's feet, began the long, tiring job of cleaning up the explosion of flour on the floor.

-

Everyone rendezvoused at the festival in the late morning. People were already setting up chairs and tables inside the hall. Further away, he could see the stage where people seemed to be setting up the mic. and speakers. He could spot Teto, Uta and Peaches close by, talking with the hired stagehands. Teto saw him looking and waved happily. He would have been more excited, but a glance at their team's cake had a depressing effect. Anyone would find it a depressing sight. And Riley didn't even try to be subtle when she saw it herself.

"I'm going to try and say this in the nicest way possible: your cake looks like a brick that was flattened fifty times with a road roller."

Okay, so them bringing cakes wasn't the main point of attending the festival but _still._

"Gee, thanks Riley." Allen didn't appreciate her frankness but couldn't help thinking she was right. And even though he'd only done the cleaning up and none of the actual cooking, he was embarrassed to be associated with that cake. Nerissa wasn't pleased either.

I don't understand!" she'd cried when they pulled their work out of the oven and it had deflated into a pathetic rectangle.

"Maybe if we ice it, it would look a bit better?" Michaela had suggested, disappointed but positive as usual.

"We could bring a doormat to the festival and it would still look better than this," Nerissa had concluded.

"Well…" Michaela said hopefully, "I'm sure we haven't made the worst cake ever. Someone could buy it."

Nerissa had raised an eyebrow. "Would you?"

Michaela's hopeful expression fell. "Well, honestly, no."

Nerissa had moaned and slumped onto the now-pristine floor. "Doomed. Completely and utterly doomed."

Allen had thought at the time that Nerissa was being over-dramatic. Now the competition was in front of him he decided it was an appropriate reaction. Kyle, Meckenzie and Riley held in their hands a thick, round and positively delicious-looking sponge cake with chocolate icing.

When the others saw their 'brick cake', it was obvious they were trying extremely hard not to fall apart laughing. Allen had an urge to rip their grins right off their faces.

Michaela didn't seem to mind and held out a finger to try and steal some icing from the sponge cake. Meckenzie was too quick for her and slapped her hand away.

"Uh-uh! No touching our crowning glory!" she scolded. Then she was scanning the crowd. "Where do we put the cakes? This thing is heavy."

Ms White, having been smart enough not to say anything about either of the cakes, led them to a giant table where luscious-looking cakes were already spread out in all directions. Michaela and Allen swapped fearful looks. Their cake could never compare. Nerissa was unusually quiet.

Meckenzie squeezed the sponge amongst the other cakes and stepped back so everyone could look at it. Allen's mouth was watering as the irresistible scent of the warm chocolate wafted its way to his nose. He inhaled the sweet smell, momentarily succeeding in forgetting his own best-forgotten cake.

"There! I think we did pretty dang good for rookies!" Meckenzie said, giving what she considered a 'soft' punch to Kyle's arm. "Except Chef Blueboy here."

Kyle blushed and rubbed his sore arm, looking very sheepish.

"You?!" Allen and Nerissa said at the same time. Allen's tone held surprised curiousity; Nerissa's, disbelief.

"Well maybe. I just know my way around a kitchen, that's all," Kyle admitted, shuffling his feet.

"In fact, the only downside was that he originally wanted an ice cream cake. Ice cream! In winter!" Meckenzie shook her head. Kyle shrugged.

"We all have our comfort foods."

"Hello there!" Everyone jumped and looked around for the source of the new startling voice. Allen felt something tug on his trouser leg.

"Down here!" a girl piped up. Looking down they saw a small, Asian girl looking right back up at them.

"Yeeek!" Nerissa squealed, uncharacteristically. She blushed furiously when they all looked at her and turned away, hand clamped over her mouth. Meckenzie did a very poor job of muffling her snicker.

"Hello there, Kayuki." Ms White bent down so she was eye-to-eye with the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here with my sister and Uncle but I lost them," the girl said, not looking particularly worried.

"I'll help you find them," Ms White said soothingly and took Kayuki's hand. The gentle teacher locked eyes with Meckenzie.

"I'm putting you in charge. Take the others to the side near the stage; that's where we'll be making the last minute touches to the Vocaloids before you go on stage. Teto, Uta and Peaches are there so they'll help you get ready."

Meckenzie nodded and they separated. Allen couldn't help looking over his shoulder at Kayuki. He felt a small shove.

"Keep moving, will you?" Nerissa snapped, then noticed his faraway gaze. "What are you staring at?"

"That girl," Allen answered. "Just who is she?"

"You mean you couldn't figure it out?" Nerissa said, dumbfounded. He shook his head.

"That's the Ice Mountain's owner's daughter; same with Miki who you met earlier this month. They're both adopted, but they call him Uncle and think of each other as sisters."

"Whoa, really?"

Nerissa looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"No. Actually Miki's an alien from outer space come to study our species and live among us."

"Seriously?!"

"No, idiot! Now get your butt moving." She gave him another shove and Allen walked on, sure he was going to get a bruise shaped like her handprint on his back if she kept this up.

They reached the side room near the stage where the Vocaloids and the other bands were getting ready. Michaela was sitting outside wearing her wig, which Teto was covering in hairspray. When the woman-child spotted them she bounced over to them and gave the can to Nerissa.

"Can you do the hair?" Teto asked, "You're much better at this stuff than I am."

Silently, Nerissa took the hairspray and got to work, making her way through the synthetic turquoise hair with careful precision and applying hair pins to where the wig was loose around Michaela's scalp.

Allen sat on the carpet and watched the others do their thing. Inside the room, Teto and Peaches were helping the Vocaloids with their costumes after their hair was given the okay by Nerissa. He could see Uta talking with one of the stage-hands about something.

Riley plonked down next to him and held up a slice of cake.

"It's banana. Your favourite, remember?" she said, giving it to him. "I bought it earlier."

'Thanks!" He munched slowly, savouring the flavour.

"Too bad the others can't have any of this stuff. Ms White said it had something to do with their throats clogging up, which would be bad for their singing," Riley explained and held up her own slice of cake.

Allen swallowed his mush to talk. "What's that?"

"Orange cake. _My_ favourite." Riley took a bite and Allen gave her a wry smile. It was times like this when it seemed that the past years hadn't happened and they were still inseparable twins.

Inseparable twins with a mother who'd cared about them and a father who'd never left them with just a stepmother as family.

Somehow, the banana cake didn't taste as good now.

-

"Oh dear," Ms White said involuntarily as they all watched the latest band get applauded. They had been very, very good and the crowd was thoroughly entertained.

"Don't worry about it, Miss," Meckenzie said. "Kyle and I will knock their socks off with our song next."

They had arranged for two Vocaloid acts. Kyle and Meckenzie singing a duet and then a following solo by Michaela.

Meckenzie and Kyle hopped up onto the stage and Allen could hear the murmurs in the audience. None of the other bands had dressed up, but that didn't stop Meckenzie from looking proud and confident as she grabbed the microphone.

"Good evening everyone!" she boomed. "I am Meiko and this is Kaito and we are the Vocaloids!"

The music started and the Vocaloids looked pumped. The practising that they had done for the routine was really paying off as they danced and sang.

Then Allen noticed that the other Vocaloid was not watching with them. He spun around and saw Michaela crouched in the corner.

Allen didn't even remember walking over to her and he was suddenly at her side.

"Michaela?" he said. Ms White had told them to get into the habit of calling the Vocaloids by their alias names when in costume, but the person he was looking at was no Hatsune Miku.

She quivered when she saw him. "Allen?"

"What's wrong?"

Michaela shook her head, tucking it into her knees.

"I…I can't…" she trailed off. "I'm scared."

"Scared?" Allen blinked. "You didn't look scared before."

"I…I can't sing in front of all these people. I'll mess up and make a fool out of myself."

"Are you crazy?!" Allen grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little. "You're Hatsune Miku! You performed for those people at the mall, remember?"

Michaela looked at him, her eyes filled with doubt.

"That was different. That was just a fluke. I could never actually―"

"Michaela, I―"

"_I'm not as strong as you think I am_!" she shouted.

Allen was silent and none of the other people had heard Michaela over the music so they didn't turn around.

"I…I've been relying on all of you to get where I am. I couldn't do this sort of thing by myself and now that it's my turn…"

He thought for a moment and then bravely took her hand.

"Okay, so maybe Michaela can't," he said softly, "but I know better that Hatsune Miku can do anything she puts her mind to."

Michaela looked shocked, but she didn't say anything so he continued to reassure her. He squeezed her hand, hoping that his palms weren't sweaty. He took a deep breath and prayed that he wasn't going to faint.

"Look, when I watched you perform on the street I was sincerely amazed. When you sang you weren't some silly school-girl singing, you were a star; a true Vocaloid. And even before that, at your audition, I fell in love with your voice. I couldn't believe how easy you made it look; putting your heart and soul into your performance and proudly showing everyone what you're made of. You definitely showed me, Michaela, and I'm not about to let you give up now. I guess I'm saying that I really do believe in you."

Allen let his words sink in. He wasn't sure how she was taking what he'd said. He would have died of embarrassment if he was looking at her so he'd kept his eyes glued to the hand he was still holding.

Then he was sure it was a dream, because Michaela squeezed his hand back. He cautiously raised his eyes to see Michaela beaming at him.

"Thank you, Allen," she said and Allen suddenly felt very light-headed. That was the most he had said to anyone in a while and he hadn't let go of Michaela's hand yet. Strangely, Michaela didn't seem to mind.

Allen helped her stand and they both wandered over to the others, who had been oblivious to the breakdown Michaela had had right behind them. Together they all watched the Vocaloids, Meiko and Kaito, finish their song.

The audience clapped for them and Meiko grabbed Kaito's hand (Allen heard him squeak) and they swiftly bowed. Looking at the crowd, Allen could tell that the performance hadn't been quite what they were expecting. He couldn't help smiling.

"That was awesome!" Riley said, high-fiving with Meiko when she returned.

"W-wonderful," Peaches said before being scooped up in a bear hug by an overly-excited Teto.

"I think I saw some of the people from the mall!" Meiko said.

"We can't celebrate just yet," Ms White reminded them. "We still have one more Vocaloid to go."

Everyone swivelled their eyes to Michaela at the back of the group with Allen. She let go of his hand and, giving him another thankful look, she walked out of the room and onto the stage.

"Good luck," he whispered, knowing that she didn't need it.

The newly-turned Miku took the microphone out of its stand and faced the audience, who appeared to have mixed reactions to her bizarre outfit. Allen thought to himself that if they could handle a blue-haired Kaito, they could handle a long-turquoise-haired Miku.

"My name is Hatsune Miku and I am a Vocaloid too!"

The music began to play 'World is Mine' again and Allen couldn't see Michaela behind Miku as she transformed her face into a cheeky expression and started to dance with the beat.

Allen had heard this song countless times at the practice sessions, but it never got old watching her perform it.

The audience was now fully enthralled by Miku and no one uttered a word. People who were buying or selling the cakes stopped what they were doing to watch her. The people sitting in chairs were all leaning forward, gaping at the teal Vocaloid.

Allen saw Ms White's eyes getting all shiny and wet and pretended not to see her dab at her eyes. Watching her made him almost want to dab at his eyes too. The other watching Vocaloids were whispering excitedly about the captivated crowd.

Miku finished on one of her perfect high notes and the audience roared its applause. Some people were even on their feet, clapping. Meckenzie put two fingers in her mouth and whistled wildly. Kyle ruffled Allen's hair and cheered with the rest of them.

Miku bowed and ran off the stage to her waiting friends. She didn't stop until she got to Allen, giving him a big hug and a huge smile.

"Thank you," she said.


	12. Chapter 11: Doubt

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the character and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**Doubt**

As soon as the Vocaloids left the side room they were swarmed by people.

"You know what the funny thing is?" Meiko said, having to raise her voice over the noise, "I'm actually getting used to this."

Most of those gathered around were there to gush—not that that was hard to take. But among the throng were musicians from some of the bands that had played earlier, and their congratulations were pretty heartening.

"My friend and I saw you the other day at the mall!" one of them said, and the person with them nodded. "We really liked your stuff!"

Miku beamed and thanked her. She had to stand back a little as her wig hair trailed down near their feet and if anyone happened to step on it, her Vocaloid identity would be blown. Nerissa had done wonders with their makeup, making their eyes seem bigger and brighter, and their skin silky smooth. To ruin it now would be horrible.

Kaito and Meiko stood in front of her, keeping the people at bay while thanking them as well.

"Yes, yes thank you again!" Ms White said, getting crushed a little. She, Teto, Peaches, Uta and Nerissa were handing out cards with the Vocaloid details on them which the crowd willingly took.

"Geez…I know half the town comes to these festival things, but this is ridiculous!" said Meiko.

As if fate had heard her, a cameraman snuck up on them and got their attention.

"Smile for the camera, kids!" he said and a white flash temporarily blinded Allen.

Thankfully, he was mostly hidden from view, trying to keep out of the way.

"Perfect," the cameraman said, then aimed his camera at them again. "This one's for the newspaper!"

Allen heard Miku gasp. "The newspaper!"

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Teto squealed, shaking Miku's shoulders.

"Hello there!" A smartly-dressed woman pushed forward through the crowd to get to them. "I'm a reporter from the local newspaper here for the festival. May I ask you some questions about you..um…Vocaloids, was it?"

Ms White looked like she was going to faint, but she pulled herself together.

"Of course…" she said, steering the reporter to the side. "I'm the co-manager."

Miku, Kaito and Meiko all stared at each other as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing. Teto snapped them out of it by roping them into a group hug Nerissa struggled against Teto's tug on her arm, but was pulled in by Riley. Uta and Peaches followed enthusiastically.

Riley popped her head up out of the mess of arms and legs to grin at Allen. She held out her hand and before Allen knew it he was caught in the group hug too. Surrounded by the giggles and laughter of his best friends, he couldn't stop smiling. It was the best feeling ever.

-

Annabelle drove Riley and Allen home soon after that, while the others stayed behind to pack up and answer questions about Vocaloids. Riley was buzzing in the back seat, talking a mile a minute about how exciting and awesome and amazing the night was. Allen let her gabble on as a wave of exhaustion had hit him as he got into the car. He had no idea why he was so tired when he hadn't even sung, but he was. All Allen wanted to do was curl up and ….

He was gently shaken awake by Annabelle when they reached the house and stumbled out groggily. Somehow he managed to get inside, but was practically dragging himself by the time he got to the stairs. All the adrenaline that had been pumped into him at the festival had worn him out and even though it wasn't even six yet, he longed for sleep.  
Riley bounded up the stairs, apparently without taking a breath, still burbling on and on at several hundred decibels. When Allen eventually joined her at the top of the stairs, Riley grabbed his arm and swung him around, giggling madly, then let him go so suddenly that he was almost thrown back down the stairs.

His twin misunderstood his slowness. She placed her hand on her shoulder, making him look at her.

"Don't worry about it, Allen," she assured him, "We'll be next!"

And with that, she ran off to her room squealing, probably planning to call Michaela and spend the rest of the evening excitedly chatting to her. Allen let her do that, now feeling a little more awake her words sank in…

_We'll be next….we'll be next…we'll be next…._

One thing was for certain; he definitely wasn't going to be sleeping tonight.

-

The next day at school Allen spent his lunch period hanging out at the far end of the courtyard with a tree and a wall for company. This had become his regular hangout and it was brilliant because no one bothered coming over there. It was a great place to think.

At least it was until Riley found him.

"A-ha! I thought I might find you here," she said, looking down on him as he rested against the tree.

"Congratulations," Allen said, his mouth filled with food.

"Pig, chew with your mouth shut!" Riley scolded before sliding down beside him and stealing some of his lunch.

"Hey!" he said, but gave up and let her eat.

"Weird lil' joint you got here," Riley commented as she munched. "This was where it all began for you, wasn't it?"

"Yep," Allen said, closing his tired eyes. As he'd predicted, he hadn't got much sleep the night before; too busy stressing about when it would be his turn to be a Vocaloid.

"Must be kind of lonely, huh?" Riley said, not seeming to notice how wiped her brother was.

"It's peaceful," Allen corrected, not opening his eyes. "Well, at least it was."

Allen felt Riley give him a little shove.

"Ha! You're welcome, meanie!"

Allen, finally catching up with his brain, came to his senses.

"Wait, why are you here? Don't you have your friends or something?"

Allen heard her scoff.

"Those airheads? No thank you. I mean, they're alright, but it's not like you can actually talk to them about stuff that matters, other than their hair or something. They don't want to hear whatever I've got to say."

Okay, that made him feel a little bad.

"Besides," Riley continued, "You're way more fun, even if you are kind of a stick in the mud."

"I am not!" Allen argued, but he was too sleepy to pick a fight with her. He just wanted to sleep…

"Uh, Allen?" he heard a voice say.

"What is it, Riley?"

"Baby bro, that wasn't me, that was..."

He snapped his eyes open to see Michaela standing awkwardly in front of them.

"Hi," she said.

Allen immediately got to his feet.

"Hi!" he said a little too loudly. Riley giggled behind him.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? In um…private?" Michaela asked him.

"Uh…" Allen looked back at Riley, who shrugged her shoulders and continued to pig out on his lunch.

"Go ahead, I'm good."

Michaela and Allen wandered over to the wall.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No…" said Michaela, fiddling with her non-Vocaloid hair. "I just wanted to thank you for yesterday; encouraging me to go on stage and all." She smiled at him, though her eyes looked a little sad.

"What happened back there exactly?" Allen asked her softly. "I've never seen you act like that before."

Michaela looked at him with a pained expression.

"I guess I just had a little breakdown," she said.

"About what?"

Michaela sighed. "Look, Allen, ever since I've started this Vocaloid thing I've never had to lift a finger for myself because everyone has done it for me. All I hear is praise from the others about how wonderful and special I am when really…I just got lucky. I'm so dependent on people now that I doubt I could do anything on my own."

"But…you are talented!" Allen said, not expecting this at all. "I told you about how I felt about your audition; you were great!"

"Well, maybe." Michaela sighed again. "But at the same time I've just been relying on all of you since the beginning, taking you for granted and now…"

She trailed off. To his horror, he saw her blink back tears.

"Now that we've come this far, I don't want to let anyone down if my luck runs out. The truth is that I'm terrified, Allen. Terrified that I'll screw up and let you all down just because I'm naïve and I couldn't handle things on my own."

A tear ran down her cheek and Allen resisted the urge to brush it away. Instead, he took the safer option and put her hands in his.

"I had no idea," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You've just seemed so confident up till now that I didn't realise that you are as scared as I am."

Michaela sniffled, blinking harder to stop the already escaping tears. He shushed her, holding her hands tight. Now he had to be the brave one.

"I'm probably not the best person to say this but…I have no doubt that you'll do great. When you become Hatsune Miku it's like you turn into somebody else. It's beautiful, really and I admire you so much for it. I'd give anything to be half as magical as you. Anyone would."

Suddenly Michaela's arms were around him again and it was all Allen could do to not melt into a puddle right there.

"If…if you believe I can do it then I believe you can do it," Michaela whispered into his hair, then pulled away.

"You have that magic in you too, Kagamine Len."

Allen smiled and watched her leave.

He returned to the tree where Riley was gawping at him.

"What?" he said innocently. "Did you hear anything?"

"No, but I definitely _saw_ something! What was that hug about, eh?" She wiggled her eyebrows, smirking at him. Allen felt like his whole head was a boiling kettle and steam was blowing out of his ears.

"N-nothing!" he stammered, hanging onto the tree so he his wobbly legs didn't collapse under him.

"Oh really?" Riley said slyly. Allen practically saw her brain going tick-tick-tick inside her head.

"Wait a minute…you've got the hots for Michaela!"

Bingo.

Allen slapped his hand over her mouth. "Keep it down, will you? Someone might hear you!"

Riley got free of his grip. "Who's gonna hear me? It's just us two and your crush is gone, lover boy!"

"She's not my crush!" Allen hissed, mortified. Riley was holding her sides laughing.

"Oh my gosh, haha! You like Michaela, wahahaha!"

Allen buried his face in his hands. What had he done? Riley was the last person on earth Allen wanted to know about his feelings about Michaela.

"Heeheehee this is too good." Riley was wiping tears from her eyes, looking like she was in pain. "I can't believe it. You and_Michaela_, of all people! Hahahaha!"

"Please don't tell anyone," he pleaded desperately. "I'll die."

Riley didn't hear him, being too busy cacking herself. Allen looked for holes to crawl into until she calmed down.

"So you haven't told her?"

"Of course not," Allen said quietly, knowing that his face was burning.

"Well, why not? You're going to be working together…"

"And that's the point; I'll have to face her almost every day if she says no."

"But what if she says yes?"

Allen froze.

"That won't happen."

"What?" Riley frowned.

"I said it won't happen!" Allen picked up his stuff and strode away as fast as he could,  
leaving a bewildered Riley by herself.

"What did I do?" he heard her cry but he ignored her.

-

Allen was set on getting to his art classroom. He knew Ms White wouldn't mind if he wanted some time to himself to think; he definitely needed it.  
However, he was stopped and by the most unexpected people.

Oh no…not now.

"Hey sissy―I mean, er Allen..." the senior thug from the other day said. Allen took a step back.

"Didn't you get the memo last time that I want to be left alone?"

"Yeah, but we were just wondering if you could do us a favour…" The senior was dancing on the balls of his feet, looking nervous, though Allen had no idea why.

"If this is a joke…" Allen trailed off. He didn't have time for these guys. And he really wasn't in the mood to be played with.

"It's not a joke!" The senior said, now starting to look familiarly aggressive. His friend held him back and he calmed down. "Look, we just wanted to know if uh…you could hook us up with that blonde ponytail chick?"

Allen choked. "Excuse me?!"

The senior blushed a little. "Yeah man!"

"Um…why?"

"Dude, she's smoking _hot!_" he said, as if it was obvious. Allen couldn't believe his ears. This was the same girl that had almost dismembered them, right?

"**What!**"

"Yeah, man if she's not your girlfriend or anythin', do you think you could give us her number or somethin'?"

Allen felt many emotions swirl inside of him but he refused to act on them, just wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

"I doubt she's interested!" He made a run for it, almost knocking the lovestruck senior over as he raced to the art classroom, humiliated and confused.

-

Things went much better at Vocaloid HQ. Teto had found a newspaper that featured an article about the Bake n' Take festival and they were in it!

Meckenzie held up the newspaper, waved it like a banner and then read it to everybody.

_"This year's Bake n' Take festival held at Lloyd Hall was a huge hit, featuring the scrumptious cakes made by fellow townsfolk that sold like 'hot cakes', if you will. The charities would like to thank everyone for their generous donations, which will all be given to a good cause._

As is tradition, a number of bands kindly volunteered to entertain the crowd and one new band stood out amongst the rest.

"Known by the name 'Vocaloids', three people dressed from head to toe in colourful yet bizarre costumes wowed everyone with their stunning vocals and wonderful stage performance.

This talented group's co-manager told me this:

"We're going to change things for the better. We are unlike anything this town has ever seen before."

Call them diamonds in the rough or weird cosplaying kids; all I know is that they've got a fan in me!"

Meckenzie nearly dropped the newspaper and couldn't finish reading the article as everyone scrabbled to get a better look. They weren't on the front page, but, in between the photos of cakes and people hosting the charities, there was a snapshot of Kaito, Meiko and Miku  
in all their Vocaloid glory.

"That's us!" Michaela squealed, hugging Riley. Everyone was hugging everyone, jumping up and down.

Ms White was speechless and had to sit down.

"Is that really how we look?" Kyle said, peering at their picture. "I can't even recognize  
myself."

"Ditto," Meckenzie said, her voice quivering.

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to us!" Michaela said, meaning it. She shot Allen an elated smile and he threw one back, happy for her and the others. Riley saw this and raised one cocky eyebrow. Allen motioned for her to shut it.

"Diamonds in the rough…" Kyle mused. "It kind of fits."

"You bet it does!" Teto said, joggling him. "This is so cool!"

"On the other hand you could just be weird cosplaying kids." Nerissa said, but it didn't seem like her heart was in being spiteful and she too was smiling.

"Well I'm immensely proud of all of you for the work you've put in." Ms White managed to stand up. "We wouldn't have got this far without you. And that's why I want to tell you that we have―"

"Oh hey, Mim!" Teto called out, "come and join the party!"

Mim emerged from the stairway and everyone noticeably quietened down.

"Mim!" Ms White said, looking startled. "I was wondering if you would join us, especially  
after our big success."

"Of course," Mim said flatly, looking at the kids as if she just realized they were there.  
"Well done."

Okay, so not the most heartfelt of congratulations.

"Gee, thanks." Meckenzie said.

"I have another reason for being here," Mim continued, ignoring Meckenzie, "as I have finally found a suitable person to join Sweet Ann as an adult Vocaloid."

"And that's saying something, considering how picky Mim is," Nerissa whispered to Allen.

Two figures came out of the stairway in Miriam's wake. One was Annabelle and the other…

"This is Primrose; Vocaloid alias Prima," Mim explained and a dark-haired lady stepped forward.

"Classy," Meckenzie commented, picking up on the woman's fancy clothing and the black ringlets curling around her powdered face. "Where'd she pick up this piece of work from? The art gallery?"

"It is wonderful to meet you all," Primrose said poshly.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Michaela said, friendly as ever.

"So…what's your genre of singing?" Meckenzie asked.

"Opera."

Meckenzie's eyes widened. "Um, wow okay. How exactly are we going to harmonize with an opera singer, Miss?" Meckenzie looked to Ms White, but Mim interrupted them.

"You won't be," she said briskly. "Now that we have a second person, Prima will be working with Sweet Ann on the more mature songs and performances while the rest of you will continue on the simpler songs fit for your experience levels. I doubt both groups will see each other very much at this point as you will have separate practice sessions that balance school or work with Vocaloid."

"It's all very serious." Riley joked, but shut up when she saw Mim's hard face.

"Yes it is. And if you're not going to take it seriously I won't hesitate to remove you," Mim warned.

Riley gulped.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Ms White said hastily, then looked hard at Mim, "I promise it won't."

Mim stared at Ms White with her steely eyes. "It better not."

Mim left soon after that, the new Vocaloid following close behind her. Mim and Prima didn't say anything else to the Vocaloids. Annabelle blew a kiss to Allen as she left as well.

"Charming," Meckenzie said when the door shut. "I almost forgot how much of a sweetheart Mim is."

"Don't take it to heart." Ms White said. "She means well."

"What's her deal? I thought she was going to push me out a window or something." Riley sat down on the floor, playing with a discarded tiara from the prop box.

"And where exactly would she find a window in a basement?" Nerissa pointed out.

"What did she mean by 'simpler songs'?" Kyle asked.

"It seems we're not good enough for her," Meckenzie said. "Go figure."

Nerissa rolled her eyes. "Don't go starting pointless drama."

"You're one to talk," Meckenzie snapped but left it at that.

"Not good enough?" Michaela said, looking worried. Allen remembered their conversation that afternoon and gave her a reassuring look even though he wasn't feeling too confident himself.

"Don't be silly, she didn't mean anything like that," Ms White said. "It's just that you all are less experienced then Sweet Ann or Prima. It makes sense for them to do the tougher songs."

"That hardly seems fair," said Meckenzie. "I thought we would've already proven ourselves to her after we rocked the house last night."

"Things are complicated with Mim, that's all. She wants you all to do well."

"I guess…" Riley huffed, "but she doesn't have to be so stingy about it. Whatever happened to her to make her so grumpy?"

"I don't think you want to hear that bedtime story," Nerissa said, perching herself on the counter bench. "It ain't pretty."

"Nerissa, please," Ms White said firmly. "It's not our place to tell."

"What could possibly be so bad?" Meckenzie argued. "What could excuse her for being so…so..._angsty_?"

Ms White sighed. Teto put her hand on the teacher's shoulder.

"Maybe we should tell them," Teto said, surprisingly solemn for once. "It might help them understand."

Ms White bit her lip and nodded.

"Alright..." she said, defeated. "But what I'm about to tell you for your ears only; so you can understand why Mim is the way she is. This is not the sort of thing that should be spread around thoughtlessly."

"We promise we won't tell," Meckenzie said seriously.

Ms White caught eyes with each and every person in the room before she took a deep breath and started.

"Mim wasn't always like this. When she was much younger and went by Miriam, the Engloids were in their prime and she was quite happy, especially after they took her under their wing. For you see, Mim wasn't just Leon and Lola's protégé, she was also their friend; a good, trusted friend. They taught her everything she knew, from singing to dancing to acting and performing. Mim was so close to joining them in their concerts when it happened. Somehow word got out of a mysterious affair between Leon and Mim. It was true that Mim had feelings for Leon, but whether he felt the same way I have no idea. It tore Leon and Lola apart for a while, putting their performance schedule on hold. Mim begged Lola to reconcile with Leon, knowing how much they meant to each other. Eventually they teamed up again, Mim went back to her place as protégé and things were finally going well. Mim had changed, though. Despite being glad that Leon and Lola were together again, she still loved Leon. She became cold and hard, no longer the person that the Engloids once knew. One night, on their way home from a concert, Leon and Lola confronted Mim about how distant she had become. The conversation quickly became very heated. They were driving into a bad storm; Leon got distracted, took a corner badly. The car went into a skid and crashed, instantly killing Leon and Lola. Mim woke up in hospital almost a week later, with broken bones and a broken heart."

The room was silent and Allen felt cold.

"I don't think Mim ever fully recovered. At first she wanted to bury all memories of the Engloids and refused to be called 'Miriam' any longer. For a while she just wandered around, muttering their names under her breath, but whenever someone brought it up she would just look at them, confused. She was in serious denial. As time went on and people slowly started to forget Leon and Lola Lloyd, Mim became determined to keep them alive at all costs. Making it her sole purpose in life, she's been searching, waiting for their spirits to be reborn inside the new Vocaloids ever since."

-

"Holy cow…" Riley said as they left the costume shop.

"I'll say," Meckenzie replied, no snarky comments left in her. "I feel kind of bad for ripping on her now."

Allen didn't know what to say. How could he say anything after what he just heard? Then he remembered what Ms White had said weeks ago about a friend of hers having nightmares…

"We all know about Leon and Lola, but I've never heard anything like that about them before." Kyle was pale, his absent-minded smile wiped off his face.

Michaela didn't say anything either, staying close to Allen and Kyle, shivering. He didn't blame her.

Annabelle drove up beside them, getting out.

"What's with the glum faces?" she asked, seeing how shaken they looked. Allen wondered if she knew anything about what happened to Miriam. Allen decided not to tell her. He waved bye to his friends and went over to the car.

"Nothing," he said, climbing into the front seat. "Right now I just want to go home."  
"Mmm," Riley mumbled, quietly getting into the backseat. Annabelle looked at the two of them for a moment.

"Uh huh…" she said, starting the car up and driving them away.

Riley and Allen were quiet on the journey home, Mim's story circling in their minds. When they arrived, Allen didn't even notice his legs leading him to his bedroom. He flopped down on his mattress, exhausted from all the thinking he'd done that day. Right now, he just wanted it to end.

He didn't resurface for dinner and Annabelle left the meal outside his door, somehow knowing that he wanted space.

Allen picked at his food, his stomach feeling hollow and empty and didn't eat very much.  
He didn't notice that he had fallen asleep until he woke up in the middle of the night after a nightmare. In it, he was in the car with Leon and Lola and Mim and the rain was pouring down so hard it sounded like bullets were landing on the windscreen. The horrible squealing sound of the wheels skidding on the road made Allen clench his teeth and brace himself as the car crashed. A wretched scream filled his ears.

Panting heavily, Allen sat up. He was covered in a cold sweat and threw his blankets off. Swearing under his breath he rubbed at his eyes. He guessed it had to be around two or three in the morning, but he had no intention of going back to sleep.  
So he sat there in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise and hoping that the terrible dream would fade from his memory.

-

Things were going a little better at Allen and Riley's singing lesson the next day.  
Since they had no official music room, everyone sort of hung around the Vocaloid HQ and did what they could manage. Michaela and Meckenzie were going over duet they might do and Kyle was holding up a sheet of paper, memorizing some lyrics, all the while humming loudly. Allen and Riley were in the small room behind the counter, where Teto actually stored a piano of all things, with Ms White who had them doing some singing warm-ups before attempting to practise their debut song.

"Can you sing this note?" Ms White asked, playing a note somewhere high along the scale.

Riley sang it with ease and Allen managed to keep up, surprisingly. Much to his chagrin, Allen still had quite a high voice, a bit girly really, and found it was very embarrassing that he could follow the girls much better than he could Kyle.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Allen," Ms White said when he brought it up. "You should be proud to have such a pretty voice."

Which, of course, made it all worthwhile.

At the start of the session, Ms White had announced: "We're going to try another street performance in a couple of days since that seemed to bring a crowd around last time. This time we'll include you and Riley, introducing the Kagamine twins—Rin and Len. Is that  
alright?"

He had said yes at the time, but on the inside he was screaming. Even with the others being so supportive, Allen still had doubts about being Kagamine Len.

He was glad Riley would be with him. She wouldn't let him run away or chicken out and she could always catch him if he felt the urge to faint on stage again. Oh geez, he really hoped that wouldn't happen. It made him embarrassed beyond belief that he had fainted in front of everyone at his audition.

When he'd told Ms White about his problem she had recommended singing in the bathroom, watching himself in the mirror. What this would accomplish Allen had no idea.

Still, he was desperate enough to try, but he would wait until Riley was out of the house. The last thing he needed was Riley's merciless teasing.

Ms White went over the second verse of their song with them, playing the piano with her spindly fingers. Allen felt the familiar tingling inside of him when he sang with Riley, his nervous voice mixing with her confident one. Riley ever so quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it for that extra bit of encouragement. Allen was delighted at this and smiled at her, but she ruined the moment by crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out, making Allen stuff up his singing because he was giggling too much. Or that could have been from lack of sleep. He was trying so hard not to let out a big yawn that his eyes were watering.

Ms White shook her head at them but she didn't look mad. "We'll take a break. You two are almost ready."

Riley bobbed her head in some sort of manic nod, dashing off to bug Meckenzie and Michaela. Ms White stopped Allen on his way out.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm getting you to sing with your sister first instead of on your own," she said to him. "I thought it might help you get on your feet before trying to do it yourself."

"It's fine," Allen said truthfully, "Thanks for looking out for me, Miss."

Ms White's eyes sparkled behind her silver bangs.

"Anytime."

-

Allen wasn't sure what he wanted to accomplish as he stood looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, which was still slightly fuzzy from the steam of his shower. Annabelle was out shopping and Riley had said something about going to visit Michaela.

He was completely alone in the house, which was what he wanted at the moment. If anyone saw what he was about to do, he'd die.

"Umm…" Allen said to himself, moving a little closer to the mirror. His hair was wet from the shower, but thankfully didn't hang as heavy as his old haircut. He had a towel tied around his waist for modesty (and the fact that, sadly, there wasn't much to look at anyways) and his prepubescent-like chest was bare.

He wasn't sure if his face was red from the hot shower or from embarrassment.

"Umm…" he said again, his voice echoing around the bathroom walls.

Taking a deep breath, Allen put his hands on either side of the sink and began to sing softly.

_"Even if we are apart  
We are the one, no, the er…something Gemini in the sky  
Even in the er, something, something…lonely night  
We are Gemini, fated to meet, umm, beyond the sky…"_

Okay, rough start for his impromptu practice run of the song he was going to perform with Riley for the debut of the Kagamine twins. Even if he couldn't remember all of words (okay, only a few of the words) without the lyrics in front of him, at least he was vaguely in tune. Huh, so serenading in the mirror wasn't as stupid as he'd originally thought. He was able to see what he was doing and how he looked when singing. Having something to focus on made the whole process a bit easier. He had more luck with the next verse.

_"Suddenly I woke up at 2 a.m.  
I had a nightmare, a really bad one  
When I'm frightened like now  
Somebody, help me, please…"_

Okay, that was strangely fitting to his current situation.

He was so caught up in singing that he didn't hear a set of loud footsteps coming up the stairs and towards the bathroom, so Riley scared him out of his wits when she burst into the room.

"What the―?! Ew! Put a shirt on, you creep!" she said, covering her eyes yet somehow managing to throw a nearby towel at him. It hit Allen right in the face. He pulled it off and chucked it right back at her. He was extremely thankful he had his own towel tied securely around him.

"_I'm_ the creep? You're the one who barged in here, invading my privacy!"

Riley giggled, effectively dodging the towel. "I'm only teasing. What are you doing in here? I heard noises…you're not doing anything pervy in here, are you?"

"Of course not!" Allen yelped, feeling hot. "And what are you doing here? I thought you were going to see Michaela."

"I still am! I just forgot something so I had to run back and get it. I ask again, what are you doing in here, oh baby bro of mine?"

"I was just…uh…"

"Oh I get it, checking out your muscles right?" Riley grinned. "You are such a boy."

"Well…" Allen studied himself in the mirror ashamed of what he saw there. He had ropey arms and legs with elbows and knees that stuck out like doorknobs. There were no defining muscles to check out; nothing in the least to be proud of. His body was even worse: slumping shoulders not much wider than his sister's and no abs to speak of, not even a one-pack. Completing this dismal picture was his squishy tummy, which appeared to stick out a bit more than his chest. Although he wasn't fat by any means, he wasn't exactly fit and firm either.

It was incredibly pathetic.

Riley picked up on his glum expression. "Hey, I was just kidding, you know?"

Allen sighed. "Be honest with me, Riley. Would a girl ever go out with someone…like me?"

Riley frowned, "Well as your twin sister, I would say that's totally creepy for one thing."

"I didn't mean you!" Allen snapped, "I meant…Michaela."

"I thought so. What do you mean someone like you?"

This was extremely awkward to talk about, especially with his sister, but she was the only one who knew about his crush on Michaela. He wasn't making much progress on his own so he was desperate enough to ask for help. Even if it had to be from Riley.

"Girls like athletic guys, right? Guys who are fit and do sporty things instead of things like singing?"

Riley crossed her arms, "Are you saying singing isn't as good as playing a sport?"

"No! I just meant that girls would be interested in fit guys instead of…people like me."

"What do you think is wrong with people like you?"

He shrugged. "I'm just thinking about whether or not I would be good enough for someone like Michaela."

"You keep repeating yourself!" Riley threw her hands up into the air, "You're dividing people into categories of 'people like this' or 'someone like that'. Things like that shouldn't matter!"

Allen hung his head. This conversation was not going as well as he'd been hoping.

"What makes you so sure Michaela wouldn't be interested in 'a guy like you'? Have you even asked her about stuff she likes?"

"Well, no." Allen admitted, "but I just thought―"

"You think too much!" Riley was nearly shouting now. "You're worrying so much about what other people think of you that you don't give them a chance to explain themselves."  
"It sounds so bad when you say it like that. I just want to be the sort of person that people like. What's wrong with that?"

Riley's face softened. "Wanting to change yourself is fine; just as long as you do it for the right reasons. Michaela already likes you, as a friend at least, and so do the others. What makes you think you're not already likeable?"

Allen didn't answer her immediately.

"This isn't just about Michaela, is it?" Riley said gently, taking a step towards her brother. "What else is going on here, Allen?"

Allen bit his lip, turning towards the mirror.

"I don't know, Riley…only a month ago I was just some other lonely kid with bad hair and a moody attitude. Then Ms White came along and showed me what my life could be like, if I could become Kagamine Len. But I don't think I'm there yet. You and the other Vocaloids are doing so well. I…I don't know If I really belong with you guys. I'm shy, anxious and still moody from time to time. I have an amateur singing voice, even with Ms White's help, and just the thought of being on a stage makes me want to curl up inside and never come out again. I'm so stressed and worried over what's going to happen when it's my turn to prove I am a Vocaloid that who knows what could happen if I step on stage. I might freeze right there or even faint again. You're all so special and talented, and even though I know by now it's not, you all make it look so easy. Think about it, everyone but me brings something special to the group. Right from the beginning Meckenzie has been on our side, wanting the best for us and looking out for us like a mother or a big sister. Kyle makes everyone laugh and lightens the mood when things get too serious. Michaela's great in everything she does; she's like the heart of the group and does her best to keep us all together even though she might be scared herself. And you…"

Allen trailed off to look at his speechless sister as she waited for him to finish.

"And you are just so confident and involved in anything you set your mind to. You're  
determined, strong and it's like you're not afraid of anything. You're our rock."

Riley grinned. "Well, yeah that's true. Nothing fazes me at all." Then she became serious again. "But if you can say all those nice things about us then why can't you do the same for yourself?"

Allen brushed past some wet clumps of hair from his face. He really didn't want to cry at this point, but it was getting hard to not fall apart right there on the bathroom floor. All the emotional stress, the nightmares, the worry of the people around him had been slowly chipping away at him over time. And now, like a burst dam, a lot of things he had been secretly thinking to himself, even the things he wasn't fully aware that he was thinking about, were finally flowing out of him. Allen didn't know if he could stop himself at all anymore.

"I'm having a lot of trouble imagining myself being anything more than just plain old Allen. When I wore my Kagamine costume, I didn't know if I could really live up to it. I used to be a nobody and now the chance of being a somebody is being dangled in front of my eyes. I don't want to mess up. I _can't_ mess up. Otherwise I'll be a nobody again; just part of the crowd."

Riley put her arm around him. "You'll never be a nobody because I won't let that happen. Getting to know you again through the Vocaloid project was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. I care about you so much, Allen, and I really wish you could see how much you mean to everyone. I don't think I could even imagine doing this without you by my side."

They hugged and Allen finally managed to smile. "You know, for all your loudmouth moments you can be really sentimental sometimes."

He felt her quiver under his hold as she giggled. "It's a gift."

She pulled away, still smiling. "And if you really want to get a bit fitter then I can help you out."

"Really?"

"Definitely. And Allen?"

"What?"

"Please put some pants on."


	13. Chapter 12: Skeletons in the Closet

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**Skeletons in the Closet **

There was something about playing basketball that Gast craved: the feel of the rubber ball in his hands as he guided it across the court as easily as if it were part of him; the smell of sweat on his body when the game raged on; the feeling of combination of feeling hot and cool at the same time; the pounding of his heart and shortness of his breath when he had the ball in his hands and was about to throw it into the basket to score. Nothing in the world could come close to what he experienced as soon as he stood on that court, the only place he could show what he was made of.

The adrenaline was pumping through his body as Gast pivoted past an opposing team member. He felt an exhilarating sense of mastery and grace that his team mates didn't seem to share. He didn't like to attack and push and shove as they did. That was the downside. They were good players, but relied on aggression and force. He wished they could slow down and relish the way the game made their bodies move and feel. When he was playing he didn't have to think, his body just moved of its own accord, almost as if he were dancing.

His height might've helped things too, but he digressed.

No one else felt like he did. All they cared about was winning, about beating the other team. That was something Gast would never understand. Was there something else in this world that could give him this feeling?

He didn't know.

After practice that day, his team headed back to the changing rooms, yelling and mucking around. Gast shook his head at them, deciding to wait a while before he went inside, not wanting to be caught up in the usual immature rituals. He wanted to feel that cold shower rinsing the sweat from his body, but not enough stand around pretending to laugh with the others as they tried to slap each other's backsides with their towels.

No thank you. Gast already had his towel and dabbed at his moist forehead, the fast drum of his heart slowing after his training. He wasn't nearly as tired as the rest of them. They put all their energy into running around like wild beasts; all of Gast's moves were calculated and precise, smoothly outpacing and out-manoeuvring the others. He supposed they weren't bad guys; they were just too simple for him. They only saw what was right in front of them.

Resting astride one of the school bleachers, Gast took a gulp of water from his water bottle and glanced around. What he saw almost made him spit the water right back out.  
A little way away, further up the bleachers, was a girl. He knew immediately that she wasn't one of the team's fangirls. They were always bunched in a group, giggling and waving while the team played. The boys always tried to show off in front of them and sometimes flirted mid-practice. Gast hated it when that happened. It was even more annoying and downright disconcerting when they whispered and giggled about _him_.

No, this girl was nothing like them. She looked to be around his age and hadn't looked up once since he spotted her. She was reading something and didn't look the least bit interested in whatever was happening around her.

Then she did look up from her book, squinting to see the time on the clock on the opposite wall. Gast instantly got taken aback by a pair of beautiful eyes, the palest shade of blue. That's when he recognised her.

Oh geez no. Not here…she couldn't be here. No, no, no, no, _noooo_.

Just as quickly as she had looked up, she picked up her stuff, stood up and nimbly left the bleachers. Gast felt suddenly very short of breath.

Wobbling a little, he got off the bleacher and practically ran to the change rooms.

He needed that cold shower now more than ever.

* * *

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"_No_."

"Don't be such a wuss, Allen!" Riley gave her brother a whack on the back, laughing. Allen groaned as he was jolted forward by the force of her hit. When he'd thought of getting fit this wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting. "And besides, Kyle is coming too."

They had just arrived at the school gym, which was freezing, as always in winter. The school must have decided that people could generate their own heat here. Allen walked reluctantly to the edge of the basketball court and stood there shivering in his baggy PE uniform, feeling just as exposed to the elements inside the gym as he had outside. There were goosebumps running up and down his body. He rubbed at his arms in the hope of getting some warmth back into them.

Why exactly did Riley think that meeting in the gym in the middle in the winter was a good idea?

"Please tell me why we are here? I want to go somewhere _warm_."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Baby. You said you wanted to get fit, right? This is the place to do just that!"

Allen's teeth began to chatter. "W-what do you m-mean?"

"I mean that!" Riley said, grabbing his face and forcefully turning it in the direction of the two boys walking through the entry. He recognised Kyle, who was chattering on about something with the other…

Crap.

_Gast_.

Everyone at school knew Gast. He was tall and athletic and had a mysterious air about him that seemed to drive the girls crazy. Even Allen, who usually didn't keep up with school affairs, knew that Gast was easily the best player on the school basketball team and had led them to the championships three years in a row with his moves. Either people had a giant crush on him or were incredibly scared of him. Allen was the latter.

He felt completely intimidated as Riley propelled him into the presence of the walking legend.

"Hey there!" Riley said, thankfully immune to whatever spell Gast cast on the other females at their school. Riley gave a high-five to Kyle who (standing on his tiptoes to reach) had his arm around Gast's shoulders . She grinned at them. "Knew you'd show up eventually!"

"I almost got lost again," Kyle confessed. "This school is huge, but nothing can block out the noise of these guys playing their basketball, amiright, Gast?"

"Mn."

Allen choked off an involuntary gasp. Gast spoke! Sort of…

Kyle, who didn't seem at all overawed, hugged Gast tightly around the neck, dragging him down a little from that impressive height. "Aw, don't be so mopey, Gast! You're here to train Allen and me, aren't you?"

"Wait, what?" Allen wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

Riley smiled, brushing away a single gold hair from her face. "Kyle set this up. I was telling him about your get-fit-quick scheme, he suggested some training from Gast and I asked if he could tag along."

Allen's eyes widened as he studied the odd pair. Serious Gast and joker Kyle; what was wrong with this picture? "You two are friends?"

"Been that way since birth, pretty much! He can't keep his hands off me!" Kyle squeezed Gast even tighter. Gast visibly stiffened, looking very uncomfortable, but didn't make any attempt to break free. Allen assumed it was because he was used to it by now. On the other hand, he looked a bit distracted by something, though Allen couldn't see what that might be.

"So you're Allen?" Gast said in a calm and steady voice, his dark eyes now looking directly at Allen. Not with animosity or contempt or anything like that, Allen thought; he was just looking, objectively observing him. At that point Allen decided Gast wasn't as scary as people made him out to be. A bit quiet or intense maybe, but not scary.

Allen nodded. "Hi," he said weakly through his still-chattering teeth. Gast noticed this.

"What is it?" he asked. The low, quiet voice made Allen relax a little and gave him the courage to be a little braver when talking back to him.

"I'm _freezing_. Do you have a jacket on you by any chance?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Gast's face.

"You won't need one once we get started."

* * *

_Tooooooot!_

Allen grimaced as Riley blew her whistle enthusiastically—again. Not that it was her whistle. Being a spectator just there to enjoy the show didn't seem to have stopped her from raiding the sports equipment room and stealing a whistle reserved for coaches. And she was (ab)using it for all she was worth, blowing it whenever Allen dared to slow down as he ran laps around the basketball court with Kyle.

"How much longer?" Allen asked breathlessly, his lungs feeling like they were on fire.  
Kyle was too busy panting to answer, but even though he looked as exhausted as Allen did, he was still sporting his goofy smile. Allen was touched that Kyle had decided to keep him company during the work-out, especially as he seemed to be just as unfit (and unathletically inclined) as Allen was.

Gast jogged effortlessly beside them, offering words of advice every now and then.

"Keep your back up and try to run in a straight line," he said, not even looking like he was breaking a sweat. "Don't hunch over."

It was almost impossible to hear Gast over the sound of him and Kyle gasping for breath as they ran around a corner again. His arms were like lead, flopping uselessly by his sides and he couldn't even feel his legs anymore.

Just how out of shape was he?

Then came the heaven-sent words Allen wanted to hear: "Okay you can stop now.".

Instantly, Allen and Kyle dropped to the floor, breathing hard. Allen hugged the cool  
ground as his muscles burned hotly.

"Woohoo!" Kyle cheered feebly, while somehow managing to support himself on one arm, and doing a fist pump with the other. "Fitness _rules…_" He dropped back to the floor, face-first.

"What (pant) kind of (pant) exercise (pant) is this?!" Allen said, so tired that he didn't bother being polite, though he hoped that Gast wouldn't snap back at him.

"You weren't specific about what you wanted to do in your fitness workout, so I simply did Coach's warm-ups for the basketball teams. Was it too much for you?"

"Whatever (pant) gave you (pant) that idea?" Allen rolled onto his back, holding his chest in agony.

Allen was past words now and lay groaning. He thought he was going to be sick. And the worst thing was that he didn't feel any fitter; just exhausted and fed up with the whole thing.

At first, Gast had gotten them to do simple exercises; some which were okay except the sit-ups which neither could do. Then he tested their hand and eye co-ordination by throwing basketballs at them in some thought that they would be able to catch them. Allen couldn't remember the last time he had that many bruises on him. Those basketballs were _hard._

Gast gave up after a while and simply got them to run laps, but by then Allen and Kyle were ready to die so they didn't shine at those either.

Suddenly, he felt a trickly wet on his face. Allen opened his eyes, looking up at the gym ceiling. Rain?

Then it happened again, but this time it felt like more of a torrent than a trickle.

"Ack!" The shock of the cold water awakened his senses and he sat up to see Riley taking aim again with her water bottle. "Quit that!"

This time Riley shot some water right in his face at close range, which was enough to bring him to his feet in an unsuccessful lunge for the bottle.

"Cut it out!" he barked, though he was too tired after that to do anything more than wave his arms around a bit.

Riley giggled unrepentantly and did the same thing to Kyle, which brought him out of his fatigue-induced coma.

"AHHHH!" Kyle screamed, rolling away from her. Riley giggled again and began to chase after him, squeezing out more water the further he rolled.

Allen could barely stand and Gast grabbed his elbow to steady him. Allen looked up at his deep, serious eyes. It was impossible to read them. He hadn't talked to Gast before and if he had to be honest, he didn't even notice him that much. They were in completely different social circles and they had pretty much nothing in common.

But if someone as zany and weird as Kyle could be friends with the guy, well…why couldn't he?

"Thanks," Allen said as Gast let him go. Gast nodded in such a formal way that it almost looked like a bow.

"You're welcome."

After Allen finally managed to drag Riley away from Kyle, they set off on the long walk back home. Though now swathed in jacket and scarf, the early evening air was chill with a light fall of snow and the wind had come up, whipping his cheeks, chin and nose raw. Allen buried his hands in his armpits, praying to get home before he turned into an iceblock. He sneezed several times and Riley handed him a tissue.

"So, feeling buff now?" Riley asked. "Ready to show off your new manly physique to Michaela?"

Allen glared at her after blowing his bright-red nose. "That's a joke, right? How on earth did you think that would help me?"

Riley's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I didn't."

Allen was about ready to shout at her when she shut him up by pinching his cheek painfully.

"You're an idiot. Did you really believe I would actually try to make you into that type of person? This was just to shut you up about that 'wanting to get fit so Michaela would notice you' crap. You're not exactly a sporty guy, Allen, and running in circles around a gym isn't going to change that. I put you through that to knock some sense into that thick head of yours."

Allen rubbed at his sore cheek. "So basically you were trying to show me that I didn't need to change myself because I'm fine the way I am?"

Riley shrugged. "Nah…I was just having way too much fun watching you run around like a moron to stop you."

Allen gave her a shove and Riley gave him one back.

"Besides, now that's you've gotten a taste for that sort of thing, do you really think it's worth it?"

Allen hugged her suddenly, surprising her.

"Thanks, sis," he murmured. Riley returned the hug and they stood like that for a few moments until she ruined the sweet moment by shoving something cold and wet down the back of his shirt.

"Arggggggh! Cold!" Allen yelled as the snowball slid down his back, chilling him to the bone. Riley took off running, laughing all the way.

* * *

_Owwwwwwwww._

That was all Allen thought when he woke up the next morning. Pain twisted his muscles, making it impossible to move without cringing.

Allen thanked assorted spiritual beings up there or whatever that it wasn't a school day. If Allen had his way, he would stay in bed all day.

Riley stuck her head around the door a little while later and started laughing when she saw him flat out on his bed like a doormat. Come to think of it, he probably looked more like road kill. Very, very _dead_ road kill.

"Enjoying that sweet kiss of aftermath that you're getting, baby bro?" she cackled, launching herself onto the edge of his bed, making it jerk and bounce. Allen groaned, his voice muffled by the pillow in his face.

"Please go away…" he moaned pathetically.

Riley laughed again. "You sound like a ghost! You're such a drama queen, Allen."

Allen didn't answer her, praying that she would just go away and leave him so he could sleep again. He wasn't sleepy of course, but his muscles were crying out to him to rest.  
Riley mentioned something about going to Michaela's house and then, thank God, she left.

Allen gave a sigh of relief, lying back into his pillows.

He wasn't alone for long before Annabelle looked in and asked if he was sick. After he wearily explained his stat , Annabelle disappeared for a moment, returning with some sort of cream. Allen was wary at first, but let her put the ointment on his calves and shoulders where it hurt the most.

"Ahhh…"

The soothing mixture began to heat up, loosening the tense knots. Allen relaxed and let the cream do its job.

He must have had a nap at some point because when he woke up it was early afternoon. Suddenly ravenous, Allen got out of bed, thankful that his pain was now more of less numbed down to nothing. He didn't want to stay in bed a moment longer. He got dressed, ran his fingers through his hair and managed to tie up the back in a ponytail with little to no hassle. He didn't bother using the gel on days when he wasn't supposed to be Len Kagamine, but Nerissa had made it perfectly clear that he had to take care of his hair now or else. Allen wasn't about to ask what 'or else' meant and just did as she said.

Going into the bathroom to wash his face, Allen didn't think he looked that bad. His hair was staying in place for once and seemed to go well with his faded jeans and casual T-shirt. He looked alright, Allen thought, smiling at his reflection.

Down stairs, Allen saw a note on the kitchen counter.

_Gone to stock up on food! Be back before dark! xxxx Annabelle._

That sounded about right. Riley ate her way through everything in their kitchen all the time when she was in a ravenous mood, leaving only a morsel or so left for Allen and Annabelle.

Allen's stomach growled, begging him for nourishment.

"Well I'm obviously not going to be getting food here," he said to himself, thinking as he walked to the front door to put his shoes on "…but I know a place that I can go."

* * *

By the time Allen stepped off the bus and walked into the Ice Mountain café, he thought he would faint from hunger. A roar of noise filled his ears as he opened the door. The place was packed and every conversation merged into one giant cacophony.. Dazed, he saw a small girl that he recognised as Kayuki standing near the door way.

"Hello," Allen said, wondering if she recognised him back.

"Hello!" she said, smiling at him. "Table for one?"

"Um…yes." Allen said, wondering why a kid was serving him.

"Right this way please!" she said, grabbing a corner of his shirt and leading him through the crowded room of people talking, laughing and eating with gusto.

"Are you, er…old enough to be working here?" Allen asked.

Kayuki looked up at him for a moment. "No, I'm just helping out Uncle. Some of our workers have the flu."

"Oh."

After being turned this way and that by his small guide, Allen eventually wound up near the back of the café.

"I hope it's alright, but we've run out of room. Do you mind if you have to sit with someone?"

"No, sure. That's fine." By this time, Allen would've sat in the dumpsters out the back if that meant he could get to eat something. Delicious smells emanating from the kitchen made Allen's mouth water.

Kayuki showed him to his seat and left, trotting away to assist other customers.  
Allen slid into his seat, instantly picking up the menu to choose his meal. There were pictures next to each item and Allen's stomach danced eagerly. He didn't even bother to see who he would be sitting with.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here."

Allen dropped his menu, seeing that the person he had been paired up with was none other than―

"Nerissa!" he said, forgetting about his stomach for the moment.

The corner of Nerissa's mouth quirked as if she was attempting to smile.

"I swear I didn't plan this," Allen said hastily. She rolled her golden-hazel eyes at him, leaning back in her seat.

"Relax, I'm not going to bite you," Nerissa said, "…not this time round anyway."

"So, what are you doing here?" Allen asked, seeing that she only had a half-empty mug of tea. "Aren't you supposed to be working at the costume shop?"

Nerissa stopped leaning back and started to fiddle with her mug. "Yeah, well business there is as slow as Kyle's brain. I don't think I'll miss much if I abandon it for a little while."

Allen didn't really know what, if anything, to say next and pretended to be distracted by the other customers. He wondered where their waitress was.

Nerissa tapped her filed nails on the tabletop, looking bored. "So what about you? I thought you and your twin were glued at the hip or something. It's strange to see one without the other."

Allen turned back to Nerissa, trying to ignore his stomach screaming at him. By this point even the table was looking appetising to him.

"Riley went off sometime this morning to Michaela's house and Annabelle went out shopping. There was no food at home so I came here."

"Hmm," Nerissa replied, bringing her mug to her lips and taking a sip before putting it down in disgust.

"Ugh, it's lukewarm."

"Why don't you get a new one?"

"I just came here to get away from that stuffy shop and in case you didn't notice I don't exactly have that kind of money on me to pay for refills."

"Then let me pay," Allen said, glad that he had thought to stuff his wallet with a bit of extra cash. It was originally going to be his ticket to a five-course meal, but that was probably because his eyes were bigger than his actual belly.

Nerissa stared at him as if he had just grown a pair of horns on his head. "What?"

"Let me pay," Allen repeated, pushing a few bills forward. "Believe me; I've got enough for the both of us. You should eat something too."

Nerissa was still staring at him.

"Please," he continued. "I want to pay for you."

Nerissa scrunched up her nose. "This isn't one of those guys-always-pay deals, is it? Because if it is then you're being downright sexist and I'll have to slug you."

Allen shook his head, now getting a bit embarrassed. "That's not it! I just want to help you out!"

She still didn't look convinced and Allen sighed.

"Think of it as me paying you back for when you told off those seniors."

Nerissa rolled her eyes again but she didn't look as annoyed as before. "Ugh, you're still going on about that? It was a one-time thing; you don't need to think so much into it."  
"Well it meant a lot to me, so I want to thank you for it. Please let me pay." His voice was soft now and he wondered if Nerissa could even hear him over the noise in the café. Her tight expression softened a little giving him his answer.

"Fine, you pay. Just don't make such a big deal out of it, okay?"

Allen nodded, smiling. "Sure."

"Hi, hi, sorry, sorry, sorry!" came a flustered voice as Miki stepped into view, visibly frazzled.

Nerissa gave a sort of half-nod, not properly looking at her.

Allen said, "Hey, Miki. "Rough day?"

Miki grinned tiredly. "Sorry about the wait, business has been through the roof lately! May I take your orders?"

"I'll have the special and a banana milkshake, please," Allen said, already imagining the glorious food in his mouth. He didn't know if he could wait much longer.

"And you?" Miki asked Nerissa, who exchanged a glance at Allen. He made sure to look very hard at her so she wouldn't try to back out. She broke contact first, handing her menu back.

"…I'll have the special too then, thanks," she mumbled. Miki nodded, taking the menus. She spied Nerissa's mug.

"Would you like me to refill that for you?" Miki offered, hand hovering over the mug. Nerissa frowned but gave the slightest nod.

"Yes, please," she said, barely audible. Miki nodded again, giving them a brisk but friendly smile then dashed off to deliver their orders.

"She's nice," Allen said after a moment of silence.

"Mm."

Allen gave her a quirky grin. "You're very chatty today."

"And you're being very cheeky," she snapped back. "When did you get so assertive, might I ask?"

Allen thought about it. "I don't know. I have to be, don't I...to perform on stage?"

"I suppose so," Nerissa said, looking out the window at the people walking by.

"What about you then?"

"What about me?" she said, not looking away from the window.

"Did you ever perform?"

Allen saw her hands curl into fists as she glared at the glass. "Let's not talk about that."

"Sorry," he apologised, trying to backtrack. "Just trying to make simple conversation since we're sitting together."

"Well you're doing quite well, aren't you? I'm feeling very comfortable in your company."

"You're as snarky as Meckenzie."

Nerissa snorted at this. "Am I now? Not sure how I should feel about that."

"Have you always been this cold to people?"

"With my life, that's how I survive."

"So what is your life then? Tell me something about yourself."

Nerissa finally looked away from the window. "You're being very pushy today. I can't figure out if you're being rude or if you're just stupid."

Allen smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll let you know when I figure that out."

"You do that."

There was another silence, but less awkward then the last one. This time, surprisingly, Nerissa was the one to break the ice.

"Now what I'm interested in is your life story. How does a scruffy kid like you end up with a whole lot of money?"

"Ah. First off, it's not mine. It's my dad's."

"Oh?"

Allen shuffled in his seat a little bit, now feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like to talk about his family much. He'd gotten so used to not bringing it up with Riley that he'd come to think it was taboo to talk about such things.

"He wasn't incredibly rich, but he left the rest of our family quite a bit. Not enough for a luxurious lifestyle but enough for us to get by."

Allen looked up and Nerissa wasn't smirking or snarling or even sympathising with him. She was listening and that's all he could ask of her. Suddenly, he wanted to tell her everything.

"He died a couple of years ago, leaving Annabelle, my step mum, with me and Riley. Those two never got on very well so I had to step up to parent to take care of Riley for a while. She got better, eventually, but by then it was like she was a different person and she barely talked to me anymore. She only started to warm up after I joined the Vocaloids really. I'm close to her now, but I know I still can't talk about this stuff to her. She'd just refuse to listen; run away from what happened to us. She always has. It's funny,  
she's always been the braver, stronger twin and yet she cowers away from things like this. It makes me wonder where I stand; whether I'm really weak or if I just fear different things."

He had to take a breath. All the background noise had faded out and it was just him and Nerissa.

"You're honest," she said.

Allen blinked.

"I'm what?"

"You were wondering where you stood beside your sister. You're the honest person, the one who doesn't lie to themselves, even if they're scared. You acknowledge your fears while Riley does not."

It was Allen's turn to stare. His jaw was dropped.

"I wasn't expecting to hear that from you."

Nerissa raised an eyebrow. "Then what were you expecting from me?"

Allen shrugged again. "When people hear about what happened to our dad they usually just say sorry and pity us."

"And did you want that reaction from me?" Nerissa asked. Allen couldn't figure out if she was angry or not. Maybe she always spoke this directly to people and he just hadn't noticed?

"No. I'd hate it if you did."

Nerissa tilted her head a little. "Well I wouldn't anyway. Saying sorry isn't going to fix anything and you don't need any pity. What happened happened and nothing anyone says is going to change that. It's already in the past."

Allen gave a small smile. "You're right. Do you think that way about the future too? That we can't change it?"

Nerissa pursed her lips. "I didn't say that. Don't go asking me about fate or destiny or whatever because I won't be able to tell you much."

"Well okay, what about your future then? Where do you want to see yourself in ten years or so?"

Nerissa smiled, but it was a sad, really sad smile, Allen thought. "Ah, you're not asking the right questions. There is a big difference between where I want to be in ten years and where I will be in ten years."

"What makes you say that?" Allen suddenly wanted to take her hand, but he wasn't sure why.

She'd probably hit him if he tried.

"Life isn't always so kind, as you learnt that the hard way. Same way I did. I doubt much of what I do now will drastically change the rest of my boring life."

Allen's face fell. "That's so sad though. You're only seventeen. Why are you giving up on living a better life than the one you have now?"

Nerissa was starting to look more and more melancholy. For the first time Allen, saw how much pain was held behind her eyes.

"I'm not giving up, I'm simply giving in. What I was born with won't help me get what I want. It's as simple as that. Not everyone gets to be the lucky winner in life and I've accepted that fact."

"That still sounds a lot like giving up to me."

"To you, probably. You're still just a kid though, you wouldn't understand."

Allen clenched his teeth and grabbed her wrist, pinning it to the table. Nerissa's eyes flashed with anger but she stopped when she saw Allen's face.

"I am not a kid," he said, with quiet force. "I am fourteen and I do understand. Something happened to you that broke you, made you stop believing that your dreams could be made a reality if you tried. And you stopped trying and hid your pain away from people with a wall so they couldn't see how much you were hurting. Don't think I can't see it, because I have one of my own and I've spent way too long denying that I do have one. You said I was honest so now I'm going to be. I'm incredibly scared of trying to reach for my dreams, but I won't let that stop me. No matter how much I fail or lose or get kicked around I know I will get back up again. And if someone as pathetic as me isn't going to give up then I sure as hell won't let you give up either."

He released her wrist from his grip and she rubbed at it, though her eyes were on him.  
She stayed frozen like that, staring at him with unreadable emotion until she stunned  
Allen by starting to laugh.

It was loud too. Allen was sure he was getting a couple of looks from the people around him, but he could only stare at Nerisssa who appeared to have finally snapped and gone insane.

"You're a real weirdo…" Nerissa said, still laughing, but more quietly. There was a catch in her voice as she went on, "I don't get half the things that come out of your mouth."  
Allen thought her eyes were looking a little watery. He really wanted to touch her hand but stopped himself.

"Well I'm still surprised that we've managed to have a conversation without you hitting me."

Nerissa widened her eyes. "You make me sound like I do that all the time. I only bash people around when they're asking for it."

"How often am I asking for it?"

She grinned through her tears. "Surprisingly, not that much."

"I'm honoured then," Allen gave a mock bow in his seat before sobering up. "Thanks for letting me vent."

"Don't mention it." Nerissa flicked at an invisible speck on the table.

"I mean it though."

"Still, don't mention it. Don't want people thinking I'm soft."

Allen rested his chin in his hands. "Can't have that. So now you know more about me, but I don't know that much about you."

Nerissa sighed, losing her smile. "Well frankly I don't open up that easy. It's gonna take a lot more than a simple motivational speech to get me to talk."

"Can I still hope? We are friends after all."

Nerissa opened her mouth to reply, then shut it again. Then she opened it a second time.

"I don't believe we've ever used the term 'friends' to describe our relationship."

"Well, what would you call it then?"

Nerissa shrugged. "I suppose if you look at it a certain way we could be considered as friends."

"So is that a yes?" he asked hopefully. Nerissa looked at him for a few more minutes before giving in.

"Sure, I guess. Unless you always pour out your heart and soul to acquaintances then, yes, I guess we are friends."

Allen wanted to hug her, but he settled for an elated smile. She hadn't hit him yet and he didn't want to ruin it.

"You look like a Christmas tree with all that glowing you're showing off there. Geez, is being called my friend really that important to you?"

"Sort of. I like you, so I'm glad we're friends."

Nerissa blushed, and looked out the window again with a frown.

"I take it back. You're too honest for your own good. Ever heard of subtlety?"

Allen wasn't able to answer her as Miki returned then with their meals. He remembered he was starving and dug in, only just restraining himself from using his hands to shovel all the food that could possibly fit into his mouth. Nerissa watched him, only picking at her own food. Her eyes held a secret, sweet smile.

* * *

Allen woke up early the next morning, having finally managed to sleep well. There had been no rolling around and getting tangled in the sheets moments, or getting up to go the bathroom in the middle of the night and definitely no nightmares. He felt rested.  
Considering the weak sunlight filtering through the curtains, Allen doubted that anyone else would have surfaced yet, definitely not Riley. Scratching at his hair, he wandered out into the hallway and had a peek inside Riley's room. Sure enough, she was fast asleep with her orange-printed cover wrapped around her like a cocoon. Her face was mostly concealed by her fringe, hiding her eyes and most of her nose with the rest of her hair spread around her pillow. Her mouth was wide open, however, and she was snoring so loudly Allen thought the walls would begin to shake.

It was kind of endearing in a way. It made him smile as he quietly shut her door and continued walking downstairs.

He was planning to go to the Vocaloid HQ after breakfast. Riley had been talking to Michaela and had mentioned last night that Michaela would be going there early to get in some extra practice. The other Vocaloids were known late-sleepers and Nerissa would probably be out ditching work again. If Allen went, he and Michaela would be alone—the perfect chance to talk without interruptions. He wasn't going to try for a confession again anytime soon as he needed way more courage to do that, but at least he could get to know her as Riley had suggested.

The mere thought made him bubble with excitement.

Annabelle, dressed in her fancy white dressing gown with her shiny blonde hair up in curlers, was making coffee in the kitchen. She smiled when she saw him.

"Good morning, Allen," she greeted, watching as he sat down on a stool near the kitchen counter. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yes, please," he said, taking in her beautiful face with its slightly-smudged-from-sleep makeup. That was a funny thing about his step-mother; she never went anywhere without putting on her makeup. The same could be said for her hair, which was always curled to perfection. He wasn't sure if he would recognise her if she stripped the makeup and let her naturally frizzy hair do its own thing. Ever since he was a kid, Allen had seen Annabelle as a sort of queen since she always dressed herself up no matter what the occasion. She refused to own jeans or comfortable shoes like trainers.

A memory jumped to Allen's attention before he could stop it. It was a happy memory from when his dad was still alive, but even now he didn't like to think about those times very much. He remembered his dad teasing Annabelle rotten when they went on a camping trip because she was clueless about what to bring, seeing as she was born and raised in the city. Stilettos may have looked good on the catwalk but they were a death trap on rocky hills and in thick forests. Allen's dad ended up having to carry Annabelle on his back until they made it to the camping ground, where they gave her pack a thorough clean out. Annabelle ended up having to share his dad's clothes and shoes, which were comically too big for her. She was terrible in the woods too, freaking out at any unusual sounds and shrieking when creatures skittered over her feet. His dad had poked fun at her and, despite her misery; she'd been able to laugh. All sorts of bugs were attracted to her and she had seemed to spend half the day rubbing anti-itch cream on herself. By the end of the trip Annabelle had been exhausted but smiling. At the time Allen had asked why and she'd said it was because she'd got to spend time with her family. Even though she was completely hopeless away from civilisation, nothing would stop her from being with them.

That had to be one of Allen's favourite memories.

Allen had no idea why he was suddenly thinking about his step-mother and love but he let the memory play on. Annabelle caught him smiling.

"And what's got you so happy this morning, sugar?" Annabelle asked, smiling herself.

"Nothing…" he said, thinking for a moment. "Annabelle, did you love my dad?"

Annabelle blinked her long lashes at him. "Of course I did, honey. I loved him with all my heart."

"…why?"

"Oh, I don't know. When you love someone you love every fibre of their being, good and bad. Your father could be such a child at times, sulking like a toddler if things didn't go his way. But he was also bold like Riley and smart like you. Whenever we had an argument and he stormed away for a few hours he would creep into our bed afterwards and whisper to me that he was sorry. He always made it clear how much he loved me. Did you know your father said 'I love you' to me every day until the day he died? I'll never forget that."

Allen nodded, taking this in. He wondered if he would ever have something like that with Michaela…

Stop that, he scolded himself. It was way too early to be thinking about that sort of thing.

"Why do you ask, sweet pea? Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing," Allen said, then rested his chin in his hand, looking thoughtful.

"Can you do something for me?"

"Anything, pet."

"Never change, okay? You're fine the way you are."

Annabelle looked surprised, but grinned warmly at him as she leant over to ruffle his hair.

"Right back at you, sweetheart," she said, kissing his forehead.

* * *

Allen arrived at the Vocaloid HQ about mid-morning. He had taken up the challenge to walk the entire way instead of asking for a ride from Annabelle and it had been a long trek, but worth it. Sure, he wasn't too keen on becoming as fit as someone like Gast anymore, but it couldn't hurt. Besides, he liked walking—at his own pace, a gentle stroll that annoyed Riley no end. She always raced ahead of him and then hated waiting for him to catch up.

Riley was probably only just getting up about now, ditto the others. But Riley told him that Michaela would be here. If he could have even half an hour alone with her…

Well, who knew what might happen? Allen took a giant breath, and felt himself go lightheaded with a mix of nervousness and excitement as he trotted down the stairs, two steps at a time, until he reached his destination. But, instead of seeing Michaela doing her warm ups or fiddling with the costumes he saw Miriam.

She was standing in the middle of the room, shaking slightly. And it couldn't have been with cold, because the heater in the corner sounded as if it was cranked up to full. Miriam's eyes were blank and glazed over, as if she was looking at something that wasn't there. It was eerie.

Allen considered turning and running away, but felt held to the spot.

Miriam looked as if she was stuck in the middle of some surreal dream and her disconnected expression was thoroughly unnerving. As he watched her staring at the blank wall in front of her, he saw her expression register first fear and then horror.

Before he could do anything, Miriam gasped as she seemed to be sucked out of whatever dream she was having and back into the real world. Allen took an involuntary step backwards.

Miriam blinked, looking around at her surroundings as if she had just realised where she was. Then she spotted Allen.

"What are you doing here?" she said, her voice high and shrill. It made Allen jump and he took another step back, bringing him up against the wall.

"N-nothing!" Allen said, his voice shaking. He felt incredibly intimidated by Miriam at the best of times, but now... "I was just…"

Miriam took several steps towards him, crossing the floor until she was in his face. Allen's breath got caught in his throat as he stood frozen with fear. It was then that he saw the faint white scars on Miriam's face and neck.

Scars that only could've been made by a serious accident.

"The only reason you should be here is if you are planning to practise intensely before your next performance," Miriam growled, her eyes boring into him.

"I-I…" Allen felt a lump in his throat, choking him so he couldn't speak. What was going on?

Miriam's fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, making him wince.

"But if you are here only to fool around I will not hesitate to remove you," she threatened, her voice chillingly low.

Allen seriously thought he was going to throw up when the sound of a door slamming shut broke the tension and seemed to snap Miriam out of whatever fit she was having. She released him as they both turned towards the noise.

At the top of the stairs stood Michaela, carrying a takeaway bag from Ice Mountain. Wide, innocent eyes looked down at them, confused about what exactly she was seeing.

"Um, is everything alright?" she asked timidly. Miriam frowned, turned away from the still-trembling Allen and strode up the stairs. Michaela instantly stepped aside to let her through, and stood with head down and eyes lowered as she passed. Before Miriam had shut the door, Michaela was racing down the stairs towards Allen who had fallen to his knees in shock.

"Are you alright, Allen?" Michaela asked, dropping to the floor beside him.

But as he took a shaky breath, trying to calm himself, Allen didn't know how to answer her.

* * *

**Whoops! Almost forgot to post this chapter here. Sorry for the lateness, but I've been extremely busy and it takes an incredible amount of time to edit a 7000 word document. So there you go. Read and Review, please! :**


	14. Chapter 13: Pride Before a Fall

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**Pride Before a Fall **

Michaela did not take what she had seen lightly. She pestered Allen about informing the others what Miriam had done. Allen, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"We need to tell someone about this," she insisted.

"No we don't," Allen said, turning away from her, "I'm fine. Nothing happened."

"She had you pinned against a wall, Allen!" Michaela argued, though looking more concerned than angry. "It terrified me!"

"What I mean is that I don't think she was actually trying to hurt me," Allen didn't know how to word it. "It's like she wasn't fully there or something. I doubt she knew what was happening."

Michaela frowned, scrunching up her perfectly-shaped face. "I don't think I understand."

Allen rubbed the back of his head, unsure himself. But he had to convince Michaela not to say anything or who knows what would happen to them. Miriam was the manager of the whole Vocaloid operation. If she was acting suspiciously, what did that say about the rest of them?

"I think…I think she was seeing Leon and Lola, or at least dreaming about them. And if I'm right, I also think that this happens all the time for her now."

"What?"

He sighed. "Ages ago, after Ms White told me about Leon and Lola for the first time she asked me if I had nightmares about them. At the time, I said no because I didn't know the details of their death and was confused. And then the other day when we all found out what exactly happened to them I did have a nightmare about it that night. I was there in the car and I crashed with them and there was a horrible screaming in my ears. I don't even know if it was my own or not."

Michaela nodded grimly. "I had a similar nightmare too. The whole story had spooked me for weeks."

Allen nodded with her, just as grim although he couldn't look at her now. The dark, unspoken dread that was in her eyes was too much for him.

"We weren't even there. We just imagined it. Miriam was in the car with them and experienced everything in cruel detail. Imagine reliving the worst day of your life; losing your lover and best friend at the same time forever? I don't blame her for being strict to us about being Vocaloids. We're the only remnants of her friends that aren't a horrific nightmare."

Michaela covered her mouth with her hand, eyes blinking back tears. She put her other hand over Allen's, not being able to speak.

She didn't have to.

* * *

Allen left soon after that. Any more thoughts on talking to Michaela were gone. Honestly, he just wanted to forget the whole thing had happened.

Things were better at school where Allen could blend. Sure, he was excited about being a Vocaloid and possibly having the chance to stand out among the crowd but right now all he wanted to do was hide. Allen just wanted to be invisible.

And he was, for the most part. There were the exceptions of Michaela and Riley who when their paths crossed in the hallways would give a wave or a smile. Riley pinched him, on occasion.

That was cool, except for the pinching part, that is. It was like they were sharing a special secret that only they knew. Meckenzie and Kyle went to different schools so he didn't get to do this with them but he often found Kyle hanging around the school gym after school. For Gast, probably, Allen thought.

And what do you know it, as Allen walked down the main hallway he bumped right into that very person. Literally bumped into him as the students stormed past Allen, pushing and shoving. Gast was built like a stone tree so Allen almost fell back onto his butt from the impact until Gast steadied him. Gast ushered Allen to one side, easily slipping between the students as they rushed back and forth in between their classes. Allen envied his height that made it easy for him to navigate.

"You okay?" Gast asked, his voice so soft Allen was surprised he even heard him over the uproar.

"Yeah…" Allen said, rubbing his nose. Were Gast's pecks made out of metal or something?

Gast nodded, looking thoughtful. Allen noticed this.

"What?"

"You're with Kyle in that Vocaloid thing, aren't you?"

That got him off his guard. Allen didn't even try to hide his astonishment.

"How do you know about that?" Allen had had to raise his voice a little over the students but it was mostly his surprise that was making the noise. How did Gast know about them being Vocaloids?

Gast blinked, taking in Allen's startled response. "Kyle told me."

Of course, Allen thought to himself, of course Kyle would blab about it, even after Ms White told them it was meant to be a secret. He let himself be angry at Kyle for blowing their cover for a moment and then answered Gast after he calmed down.

"What did he tell you?" Allen hoped he sounded threatening but it came out as more of a nervous whine.

Gast gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "He said you perform for people under these loid-alias' and that you were in the newspaper the other day."

That was probably the most Allen had ever heard Gast say in one sentence.

"We're not supposed to tell anyone who we are outside the project," Allen sighed, one hand to his face, "but Kyle must have forgotten that rule."

The quiet teenager nodded, "I won't tell anyone," he said evenly. Allen sighed again but this time with relief. If word got out that Michaela, Riley and he were Vocaloids at this school, things could get messy. Especially if Hatsune Miku's rising popularity had anything to say about it.

"So…why'd you ask, anyway?" Allen said, happy that their secret was safe for now at least. But Gast was staring at something in the distance, pink cheeked. Allen followed his line of sight and saw a girl standing a little while away that he didn't recognize. When he turned to look back at Gast he was already moving very quickly in the other direction, his face now as red as Teto's hair.

"Hey, where are you going?" Allen called out, as Gast weaved in and out of students' way like some sort of graceful dance. He didn't answer him and before Allen could blink, he was already out of the hallway and not looking back.

* * *

To say he was nervous was an understatement; consumed by fear would be more accurate.  
Allen was dressed up in his Vocaloid gear; hair spiked to perfection and mouth as dry as saw-dust. The Vocaloids had arrived at the shopping mall just as the shops were opening. This time Teto, Peaches and Uta had come along to manage the technical stuff and generally be extra pairs of hands if Ms White needed them.

Miriam was with Sweet Ann and Prima on the other side of town, arranging to provide their  
services at a wedding reception.

Even if Allen had to deal with Miriam's wrath at least he'd be inside a nice, quiet reception, instead of out here in the freezing cold about to sing to an audience for the first time.

Whoopee.

While he'd been spent most of his morning worrying about this, the others had been smart enough to bring warm clothing along with their Vocaloid outfits. Beside him, Michaela gave a convulsive shiver under her fluffy white coat and tightened her scarf. Glancing at her, he saw to his dismay that it was Kyle's blue scarf.

Even without the scarf, Kyle was probably the most appropriately dressed Vocaloid for the bitter winter weather with his long pants and trench coat. But that didn't stop him from oh-so-subtly trying to pull a beanie over his frost-bitten ears when he thought Nerissa wasn't looking.

Nerissa, who never missed anything, was yelling at Kyle for messing up his carefully arranged blue hair. She was dressed in jeans and a massive overcoat that went past her knees. Her jacket collar was pulled up to her reddening nose and she even had earmuffs on. It couldn't be that cold, could it? Maybe she was just doing it to spite them but the more Allen looked at her wrapped under layers of warm clothing, the colder he felt.

Forget Michaela! Forget the cold! He had to stay focused. To mess up now would be too much for him.

Allen dug his shoe into the thin layer of frost at his feet and tried his best to read over the lyrics inside his head, but his thoughts kept drifting. Could he do this? He still had a lot of doubts. It wasn't too late. Perhaps he should just turn and run while everyone was busy. He couldn't drive but he could try to jack a bike maybe.

Allen shook his head fiercely, earning a minor scolding from Nerissa about watching his hair. He was being ridiculous. He couldn't even ride a bike, let alone attempt to steal one. In any case, Allen knew that Ms White and everyone else had done so much up until today. To fail them now would be awful.

Sighing, watching his breath form a misty cloud in front of his face, Allen knew he couldn't let them down.

He'd have to sing. He was a Vocaloid.

* * *

"You think we could get some sort of winter version of these Vocaloids outfits?" Meckenzie suggested after seeing Michaela sneeze for the third time and handing her a hanky. "These ones aren't really compatible with the elements. No offence, Teto."

Teto looked thrilled at the chance to make more outfits and nodded enthusiastically.

"We won't stay out here too long," Ms White assured the group. "However, Mim made it clear that she wanted us out here for another performance."

"Easy for her to say…" Meckenzie said, but she dropped the subject to Ms White's and his relief. He remembered very clearly his last experience with the stoney-faced woman.

"And to make up for the bad weather, afterwards we'll all head down to Ice Mountain for some hot drinks," Ms White said and everyone perked up immensely. Hot chocolate on a bitter-cold day like this sounded like heaven.

"Well, I volunteer to go first," Meckenzie said, looking at the busy people rushing past them. They didn't seem to notice the cold. "Simply because my thighs are starting to look like that mouldy blue cheese stuff."

"Lovely," Nerissa murmured as Meckenzie stripped off her jacket and went to stand proudly on the mini-stage, her red dress vivid against the white frost. Meckenzie-now-Meiko tapped on the mic one, two, three times before smiling at the people who'd begun to gather. She swivelled away from the audience to motion to Uta to start the backing track.  
Meiko's song was called, fittingly enough, 'Silent Snow'. It was a big difference from the wild songs she usually sang. Her voice was gentle and fluid and she swayed slowly from side to side, feeling the music. The mood seemed catching. More people were turning to look and Allen saw some smiling. He noticed a man who'd been stalking along, talking angrily into his mobile pause, look up and stop to listen, and a harassed-looking mother whose child stopped pulling against her hand and came with her to watch.

The rhythm began to build and Meiko followed it, moving from swaying to a simple yet effective dance routine. People clapped as the song ended and Meiko gracefully stepped down from the stage.

It was obvious that she had been practising very hard since her last performance.

Kyle and Michaela (or rather, Kaito and Miku) were the next to go on. They were singing a duet called 'Cendrillon.' Miku started on one of her long and impossibly high notes that got everybody's attention.

_"Aaaaaaaaah, aaaah, ahhh, Aaaaaahhhh~"_

If Meiko hadn't already caught the crowd for the Vocaloids ,they were certainly hooked after that. Cendrillon was a very fast song, with heaps of rhythm and beat to it. Miku and Kaito kept up just fine. They even had their own routine worked out and Allen hated to admit it, but they worked really, really well together on the stage. He was happy for them both, and very happy that Michaela seemed to have completely lost herself in the joy of being Miku—not worrying about stuffing up.

Like Allen as Kagamine Len might do.

Kaito and Miku bowed when their song was done and there were some enthusiastic whistles as well as clapping from small crowd that had formed at the entrance of the mall. Ms White looked elated and Teto was running around hugging (suffocating) everyone. So far it had been a very good day.

Allen felt a bony elbow bump his ribcage. Riley winked at him.

"Time to transform…" she said and he gulped.

It was now or never.

"Last but not least," Ms White told them all. Then just to him, Ms White whispered: "Good luck, Allen."Kaito and Miku, having turned back into dorky Kyle and bubbly Michaela, came over to Allen. Michaela smiled enthusiastically at him while Kyle gave him a swift high-five.

Riley went ahead to set up the microphone for them and Allen began to follow, slowly. A lot of the crowd had stayed, curious to see what the Vocaloids were going to do next. Far too many eyes were on him and Allen was finding it hard to breathe. Then someone put a firm grip on his arm, stopping him. Turning around, Allen saw it was Nerissa.

"Don't freak out," she hissed, softly enough so only he could hear her, "and don't worry about messing up."

He grinned, feeling as if the sun had just come out. Nerissa let go of him and he strode forward with new confidence.

Which, of course, led him to fall flat on his face, thanks to the slippery ice underneath his feet.

There was some laughter from the crowd. Allen grimaced as he struggled upright and continued sheepishly to the stage where Riley was waiting for him. She already had her 'Rin' face on, which was basically her 'super-confident-Riley' face. She knew she had this in the bag. Meanwhile, Allen tried his best to put on his 'I'm-totally-not-about-to-pee-my-pants' face—the closest he could get to looking like Kagamine Len.

Riley-turned-Rin gestured to Uta to hit the music way earlier then Allen was prepared for. He had little time to assemble himself as Rin got into position, posing on the right side of the stage, leaning back slightly. Allen quickly mirrored her, resting his back against hers as they tapped their feet to the beat. Feeling Rin's strong and steady form against him gave Allen courage. He closed his eyes right before their cue to sing. In an instant, cowardly Allen was gone and replaced by Kagamine Len who sang with a force Allen didn't know he had.

Inside his head, he was still Allen, but his body moved of its own accord as his alter ego took over on the stage. Kagamine Len danced and sang, his voice blending with his sister's, like two parts of the same instrument. He kept in perfect time with her as they sang the upbeat tune of 'Gemini'. Len barely heard the responsive noise of the crowd.

Though that whistle definitely came from Kyle.

Too soon and it was over. Then it was as if a wave of fatigue passed over Len and he faded away. Allen re-emerged, exhausted but exhilarated. Ms White beamed at him as he was tackled by Riley, then buried by Kyle, Michaela and Teto who all came over to hug him. They ended up in a big pile on the ground with poor Allen squashed at the bottom. Sticking his head out for air, Allen saw Nerissa.

"Told you so," she said.

* * *

Allen and his merry band of Vocaloids celebrated their victory with hot chocolate in a warm booth in Ice Mountain. Teto, Peaches and Uta had stayed to take down the equipment to bring back to the hall so they missed out. It was only when the Vocaloids had finished thawing out and brushed the last flecks of snow off their outfits that they sat back to bask in their glory. Like last time, there were people staring and pointing at them, but they didn't attract quite so much attention, because Michaela, learning from experience, had removed her large wig before stepping into the café.

Allen was still buzzing from his performance as a Kagamine twin. A glow seemed to emanate from his skin. He was surprised no one else could see it—he felt as if he were lighting up the whole room. It came from a certain sort of pride that he hugged to himself, cherishing it, feeling its warm touch right down in the pit of his stomach.

Miki must have picked up on his happy aura because no sooner had they settled, than she sprang into sight, her happy demeanour shedding its own light.

"Hi, guys!" Miki greeted warmly, looking over each and every colourful character there.  
"Did you just have a performance?"

"We busked in front of the mall," Meckenzie explained. "You should come see us sometime."

Miki's eyes sparkled. "Wow!" she enthused, "I'd love that!"

Then her face fell. "Oh...wait, I can't. Sorry."

"Why not?" Michaela asked curiously, wondering if Miki didn't get much free time.

Miki shrugged, visibly disappointed. "Uncle doesn't like me going out on my own. Said it could be dangerous because of…" Miki trailed off, but Allen noticed her tugging on her long sleeves, hiding her arms. An instant later, Miki's smile was back on her face. The moment was forgotten.

"Anyways, enough about me! What can I get you guys?"

When Miki left to deliver their orders, Allen watched her retreating figure heading back to the kitchen. At a glance, she moved like any other person but Allen picked up on a subtle stiffness to her walk. Now he thought about it, Miki had braced her hip against their table as if it was hard to stand upright and support her own weight

When Miki came back with their refreshments, Allen watched her closely. He saw that she braced her hip against their table as if it was hard to stand upright and support her own weight.

_"She must've had some kind of accident and that's why she can't become a Vocaloid."_

Allen shook his head so hard, his ponytail fell out, ruining Nerissa's carefully spiked hairdo. He didn't care. He ran his fingers through his gelled fringe until it fell in front of his face. He didn't feel so much like a Vocaloid now.

He could feel Nerissa staring at him but, she didn't tell him off for messing up his hair. The others were too preoccupied to notice much about Miki. Riley sucked down her drink so fast that she had hiccups. Kyle spilt his drink and Meckenzie snapped at him for being so clumsy. Allen tried to involve himself into the conversation the group was having.

"All I'm saying is we gotta think about the weather before we plan these things," Meckenzie said, "Otherwise we're all gonna catch colds. Heck, Michaela is sniffling as we speak."

Everyone turned to look at Michaela who was blowing her red nose into Meckenzie's borrowed hanky. She blushed and hid the hankie behind her back, sheepishly.

Ms White sighed, "I know. I'm so sorry for bringing you out here without the proper gear. Miriam didn't mention the timing would be so bad when we spoke of this performance beforehand. Next time, I'll be sure to look into it. Michaela, if your cold gets worse I'll write a special note so you can be excused from classes."

"Thanks, Miss," Michaela said nasally, rubbing her nose. Beside her, Kyle gave off a loud sneeze that made everyone in the café jump. When their hearts left their throats, the kids turned to glare at Kyle. He gave a huge sniff and Meckenzie reluctantly handed him another one of her hankies.

"I wish my teachers let me skip school. Aw man, I think I might be getting sick too," he snuffled before he let off another big sneeze.

"Don't worry," Nerissa said as she stirred at her tea, "I hear idiots never catch colds."

"That's a relief!" Kyle said happily, taking a few moments before he realized what she said, "…hey, wait a minute!"

Allen laughed and his messy feelings slowly melted away. He could relax and enjoy his time with his friends after a good day's work. Nothing could get him off his high.

That, of course, was when things went south, naturally.

Meckenzie had been going on for a while about the weather and how it was bad for them and even Allen had to admit it was getting old. Meckenzie's main motivation was the fact that Michaela had been sneezing since she came into the café. Allen saw the poor girl was starting to look more and more miserable with every passing moment. Meckenzie stopped her rant at one point to shrug off her own coat and put it around her friend's small, hunched shoulders.

"You'd think Miriam would take better care of her Vocaloids," Meckenzie said for the third time that morning, "I mean, how can we continue the first Engloid legacy if we all get sick?"

Nerissa groaned, "If all you're going to do is complain about it, you might as well not say anything at all."

Meckenzie smiled, nastily, "Ha! Coming from you? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!"

"At least I'm not a hot-headed loud mouth," Nerissa retaliated.

Just like that, the air grew tense. Michaela bit her lip and Kyle was looking back and forth between Meckenzie and Nerissa, confused. Allen shrank in his seat. Being around the two girls for as long as he had, he could smell when a storm was brewing. And this was surely going to be a big one.

"Girls, stop this," Ms White said in her teacher-voice, sensing the storm as well. "Arguing over nothing won't get you anywhere."

They ignored her. Meckenzie was beginning to grind her teeth in irritation. They could've left it there and changed the topic, but Allen knew Meckenzie wasn't ever really one to give up; especially on an argument. He considered for a brief moment if he should hide under the table.

"A loud-mouth, am I?" Meckenzie echoed. "Okay, princess, just because I express my thoughts and feelings for the group and myself doesn't mean you have to shoot me down at every waking moment. I mean, look at you, when have you ever helped any of us? At least I make some effort."

Nerissa flushed and Allen wanted to stop her before she said anything more to ruin the mood. His hand reached for her shoulder, but one quick, stabbing glare from those eyes of hers made his arm fall to his side.

"Nerissa…" Ms White warned, keeping her voice low so as to not cause a scene. It was in vain however, as a lot of people were already staring at them with renewed interest. People did that a lot, nowadays, but this wasn't the kind of attention they wanted.

Nerissa wasn't defeated just yet though. She had learned from her last blow-out against Meckenzie just how to pick away at her. "You're right, you always make heaps of effort. In fact, that's why you're staying late after practices to revise your songs and that's why you're working twice as hard as anyone else. Your performance today proves that. For days you've come in and out of that costume shop because you just don't think you're good enough to compete with the others. Don't deny it, I've seen you because I work there, and almost every time I'm there you're locked up in the back, singing until the cows come home. It's not because you're committed to the group, it's because you're scared they'll leave you in their dust. You just don't think you're good enough to be a Vocaloid."

Michaela and Ms White gasped, completely horrified. Kyle whispered: "Is that true?" Allen saw Meckenzie's lips disappear into a thin line on her face and her cheeks redden. Her brown eyes were locked on Nerissa, boring into her, but Nerissa wasn't backing down.

Instead she became the straw that broke the camel's back.

"When are you going to realize you're just wasting everybody's time?"

_SLAP!_

The force of Meckenzie's slap sent Nerissa's head to the side, one pale cheek flaming from the hit. Two angry tears had slid down Meckenzie's face as she visibly shook where she stood.

"Oh…my…gosh…" Michaela said quietly. Everything was silent except for Meckenzie's ragged  
breaths.

"How dare you?!" Meckenzie cried, her voice echoing throughout the shell-shocked café.  
"How dare you mock me when you have nothing to show for yourself. We were all having such a good time and then you had to ruin everything with your snarky, unneeded comments!"

Nerissa turned her head to face Meckenzie. Her struck cheek was swelling slightly, but her eyes were ablaze like an amber fire.

"To be fair, you retaliated and let your violent temper compromise your actions. If you weren't so high-strung and had any discretion you wouldn't feel the need to blow your top every time someone insults you. That pitiful slap you gave me just now shows that you have the emotional control of a rampaging bull."

"Nerissa!" Ms White snapped, standing up. "You've gone too far this time." Again, she was ignored.

"I'll show you discretion, _princess_," Meckenzie mocked as she walked out the front door of Ice Mountain, slamming it behind her. She didn't turn back as she trekked through the snow.

"Oh boy…" Riley muttered under her breath.

The rest of the group was too shaken to react at first. It was only when Michaela hesitantly stood up that they took in what just happened.

"I-I'm going to go after her; to make sure she doesn't get hurt." She grabbed Meckenzie's jacket and hurriedly threaded her way out. Allen started to make a move to follow her, but Kyle was already ahead of him.

"I'll go with you!" he said, catching up with her. He waved goodbye t as they left.

Ms White shook her head, ashamed. "I should've prevented this."

"You can't blame yourself," Allen mumbled, still coming to grips with the mood whiplash that had taken place. They had all been laughing together just five minutes ago. What happened?

"Yeah!" Riley agreed. "Come on, Miss you work at a high school for crying out loud. It's a well-known fact that teenage girls like to cause drama. S'not your fault Meckenzie's a hot-headed hormonal beast and Nerissa's a cold-hearted jerk with no empathy whatsoever."

"Hmph!" Nerissa crossed her arms, looking away. Her cheek had a red imprint of a hand on it.

"We were doing so well, though…" Ms White said, looking more upset then Allen had ever seen her before. "I had thought we could make this work…"

He wet his lips, "Does…does Meckenzie really feel that way?" What Nerissa had said sounded a lot like his own doubts. But Meckenzie looked more confident than any of them. She surely couldn't have doubts…could she?

Ms White's face scrunched up in thought. "Meckenzie has been working hard lately, that much I've noticed. I also know she really does want to do well. She cares about you all very much."

"I don't think that caring attitude spreads to me, does it?" Nerissa snapped. Ms White frowned at her.

"And for good reason!" Riley retorted. "Man, why you always gotta stir up trouble with Meckenzie, eh, Nerissa? I mean, I admit it's fun to tick her off and watch her explode every once in a while, but she's still a good person. Like Miss said, she actually cares about us and the success of our group. You didn't have to spoil our party today by bringing up that stuff. Girl's got issues, same as you do."

Nerissa glared at Riley. "I don't have issues!"

Allen thought back to her reaction at the café when it was just the two of them. Issues were something Nerissa definitely seemed to possess, not that she'd ever admit that. He caught her eye and knew Nerissa knew what he was thinking, daring him to say something. He didn't.

"Yeah, right," Riley said dryly, draining her mug. "Welp! Since you crazy kids had to go and kill my happy-fun-time mood, I wanna go home and forget this day ever happened."  
Nerissa pouted but Ms White took out her keys with another sigh, looking exhausted.

"I'll drive you home…" she said, defeatedly.

* * *

**I am aware this is ridiculously late.**

**Life happened.**

**Enjoy the drama. :)**

**Edit: I apologize for the lack of line-breakers. seems to just be eating them up so I'm going back to fix them. Sorry for the inconvenience.  
**


	15. Chapter 14: Scarves, Snow and Secrets

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**Scarves, Snow and Secrets.**

Things were quiet for the next couple of days and Allen didn't speak to Miss White, even when he was in her art class. He couldn't face her yet with his questions, especially since she seemed to be plagued by some of her own. Michaela was alright though and still greeted him in the hallway when they spotted each other. Michaela had explained in passing that she and Kyle had sorted out Meckenzie; Allen doubted if anyone was brave enough to sort out Nerissa. She hadn't been visiting Ms White, that's for sure.

But someone who did visit was Kyle, though not for him.

Allen had been walking down the side of the school when he heard two voices whispering. If he hadn't matched Kyle to one of the voices he probably would have walked past but this made him stop in his tracks. It was then he realized the other voice belonged to Gast. Allen froze. Kyle wasn't telling more Vocaloid secrets, was he? What if he was blabbing about the fight the other day? Kyle could be so dim; he probably didn't even realize what he was saying.

Suddenly, Allen was pulled behind a wall, a hand covering his mouth to stop him from making any noise. His mischievous twin released him only to pin him to the wall.

"Shh!" she hissed, "Don't blow my cover!"

"What on earth are you doing?" Allen exclaimed.

Riley rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd know me better than that, baby bro. I'm spying, duh!"

"But, that's―"

"If you don't want to listen, fine. You're missing out though, it sounds really juicy."

Allen frowned, but he couldn't help being interested. "Juicy how?"

Riley giggled, "I think they're talking about a girl."

At that, Allen's blood ran cold. Michaela! Or Meckenzie. If Kyle said a word about either girl's business, he'd slug him. Well, metaphorically since he couldn't throw a punch to save his life. And he was probably being a hypocrite since he was spying on Kyle, but surely that was different.

As Gast and Kyle began to speak again, Riley and Allen flattened themselves against the wall and stretched their ears out to hear.

"Yeah, man. I totally saw her as I walked in to meet you!" Kyle said loudly, sounding  
excited.

"Are you sure?" Allen heard Gast ask in a less-calm-than-usual manner.

"It was definitely her!"

"Are you absolutely sure it was her?"

"I'm 150 per cent sure it was her! Wait―we're talking about the same girl, right?"

Allen heard Gast groan.

"Oh man, this is great!" Kyle continued. "If she's back that means that you can, like, talk to her and tell her―mmph!"

Gast seemed to have shut Kyle up and when he spoke his voice sounded strained.

"I'm not going to talk to her. I just needed to know I suddenly wasn't going crazy when I started seeing her again at the start of the winter semester."

"Oooh," Riley whispered to Allen. "This is getting interesting."

Allen didn't know what to say. Whatever was going on it didn't sound like they were talking about, Michaela or Meckenzie or anything to do with Vocaloids at all. But somehow he couldn't walk away just yet.

Kyle hadn't been silenced for long.

"Why not, bro? I mean, you used to talk to me about her all the time. Don't you like her anymore?"

Allen had to strain his ears to hear Gast's hushed reply.

"Of course I still like her." There was a long pause before Gast started to speak again. "But it's been three years. I doubt Lucy wants anything to do with me."

"Who's Lucy?" Allen said softly. Riley shrugged.

"Well of course you know how great _I_ am with the ladies," Kyle said, "If you ever need the love guru Kyle to sort out your problems all you gotta do is ask, bro."

Allen picked up something that almost sounded like a chuckle. It couldn't have been from Riley, because she had already turned away to smother a burst of laughter in her hands.

"I'll keep that in mind…" Gast said, his voice sounding funny as if he was having a hard time keeping his tone serious.

Just then, the bell went, and Allen and Riley had to run for it before the boys spotted them.

He caught his breath when Riley scampered off, probably to gossip about what she had just heard. Allen already had too much on his mind to even begin processing what had just gone down. It was then he realized he was completely alone in the courtyard.

"Great," he said. "Now on top of everything else, I'm late to class too."

* * *

Allen had made the mural wall his personal hang-out. In the beginning it was just him, with only the wall to keep him company. Once Riley had found him, she refused to leave him alone and often dragged Michaela along too. Not that he was complaining about that last part, mind you.

So lately, the three of them had gotten into a routine of meeting up there at break time. It was really the only time they could talk to each other properly since Allen didn't have any classes with Riley and Michaela was a year above them.

Riley did most of the talking; telling elaborate stories of things she'd done, usually exaggerating things to the extreme. It was hard to tell when she was lying and when she was telling the truth and Michaela believed every word she said. It didn't help that Allen was often the butt of the jokes in Riley's tales either. Allen usually kept quiet for the most part, eating his lunch and enjoying the bitter-sweet time spent with his unrequited crush.

The more time he spent with Michaela, the worse his feelings got for her. Anything she said to him turned him into a stuttering muck. If she touched him, his skin went crazy and he felt shivers all up and down his body. Just her presence made him jittery and light-headed. Being with Michaela was a hormonal nightmare and he was loving every minute of it.

It was easier at singing practice when if he acted like a doofus everyone could excuse it as performance nerves. But the thing was, Allen wasn't too bad with handling those now. After his successful show at the mall, he felt more confident with himself and didn't screw up as often. He sang more, he danced more and although he wasn't on par with Hatsune Miku in selling it, Kagamine Len was catching up fast.

Kagamine Len was talented and self-assured in what he did. Allen, on the other hand, was still battling the works of being a teenager with mixed results.

One day, Allen, Riley and Michaela were hanging out by the tree. Although it was getting too cold to be outside, students weren't allowed inside the classrooms during break. And since the swimming pool was closed for winter, Michaela had a lot of extra time on her hands to hang with them.

The topic of the day was Vocaloids, and what sort of things they could try in the future.

"People seemed to enjoy my duet with Ky―oops, I mean, Kaito. Should I do more duets? What do you think, Riley?" Michaela was asking.

Riley tapped her lip with her finger in thought. "Definitely. And I have an idea of who would love to be your partner…"

That got Allen's attention. One look at Riley's conniving face and he felt his heart sink. He shook his head violently at Riley who blatantly ignored him. She obviously wasn't done playing matchmaker for her twin.

She continued mercilessly, "Allen here was just telling me that he'd love to do a duet with you. Really."

Michaela's eyes sparkled and she clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, really?" She turned her head, hair swirling, to look at Allen who was hiding behind his lunchbox as best he could.

"Mhmm," Riley hummed. "I personally think you two would be _great_ together."

"You think so?"

Allen could feel his face going red. Oh how he missed his shaggy mane that he could hide behind. Nerissa's 'do exposed way too much of his mortified face for his liking.

"Well, I had this idea that―"

_BRRRRRRINGGG_

Never had the words 'saved by the bell' meant so much to Allen. It was as if the school bells of Heaven itself interrupted the mortifying conversation. Michaela waved them goodbye, still nattering about possible songs they could do.

When she was gone, Allen gave Riley a Nerissa-inspired dark glare. She just grinned.

"Don't gimme' that look. I just got you a potential date with your dream girl. You should be down on your knees thanking your sweet sister."

"You are the root of all evil," Allen said, deadpan.

Riley pinched his cheek, making him yelp.

"And you're my servant. Now be gone, slave!"

Allen left, wondering if Riley actually wanted to help him with his relationship problems or just meddle into them for her own pleasure.

Or, most likely, a mixture of both.

* * *

The next time everyone met up at the Vocaloid HQ was awkward to say the least. Meckenzie and Nerissa had had constant small spats and practices had certainly been edgy after the big fight at the mall, but now, after that scene in the café, the air was thick with tense anticipation of possible explosions. Words had been said that couldn't be taken back.

Allen wasn't looking forward to seeing how it played out from here.

The antagonists were keeping their distance. Nerissa was texting in one corner, hidden behind various costumes. Meckenzie stood just to the side of the room, away from the musical sheets and piano. She was a lot quieter than usual and didn't seem keen to practise. Allen could guess how self-conscious she felt as everyone, at some point, was keeping an eye on her.

Kyle tried to coax her into helping him practise with one of his songs but got snapped at and backed off. Allen had to look away at Kyle's crumpled, confused and hurt expression.

Riley (for once) was minding her own business and chatting with Teto and Ms White. Allen saw that Michaela kept looking helplessly between Meckenzie and Nerissa. She looked unsure of who to comfort, who to talk to. Never one for conflict, this was probably befuddling her deeply.

Allen took pity on her. Bravely he walked over to her, sucking in a deep breath. Forget  
stage fright, girls were much more intimidating.

"Um, Michaela…" Allen mumbled, praying he wouldn't screw this up. "I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to practise together?"

Michaela's face brightened and with it, the whole room lit up in Allen's eyes. That's how much of an influence Michaela had on him. It was terrifying.

"Sure," she smiled at him and, relieved, he managed a shy smile in return.

Allen glanced over at Kyle, who was still moping about being shot down. Kyle must have felt Allen's stare because he looked up with a flicker of hope in his eyes. Allen nodded slightly, causing Kyle to break out a huge grin. He practically skipped over to them,  
happy to be included.

They didn't really do much, but the three of them just mucking around was enough to lighten the atmosphere. Riley joined them and, after a while, they even managed to get Meckenzie to sit with them. She didn't say much and seemed wary of touching the music sheets, but Allen caught her whispering a short apology to Kyle for her earlier rejection.  
Ms White caught his eye and smiled to show how proud of him she was. Nerissa slipped out the door, unnoticed by all but Allen. She was too far away for him to read her expression properly, but he could guess.

He scrambled to his feet and followed her out. It wasn't snowing, but it was cold and Allen wished he'd remembered to bring his jacket out with him.

"Nerissa!" he called out to her hunched-up figure. She stopped walking but didn't turn around.

"What do you want?" Nerissa spat, her throat sounding thick.

"I…uh." To be honest, Allen wasn't exactly sure what he was planning to say to Nerissa. He had just run after her without thinking.

He heard her sigh and she started walking again. Allen dashed over to her, spinning her around. Her face was wearing its usual scowl, but he didn't let that faze him. He kept his hands on her shoulders so she would look at him.

"Just hold on a second. Where are you going?"

"Home. The café. Anywhere but here where I'm not wanted," Nerissa said curtly.

"I want you here." Allen said, feeling foolish. "I'm your friend…"

"Hm," Nerissa smirked at this. "Maybe so. But I know back there I'm as welcome as a leper. I'm not so stupid that I couldn't figure out that I'm not exactly at the top of everyone's friends' list."

Allen bit his lip. "But that's because you said all those mean things about Meckenzie. It was kinda harsh…"

Nerissa laughed dryly, shrugging off his shoulders. "Don't kid me with that 'kinda' talk. We both know what I said was mean and cruel and I am fully aware of it."

"Then why…? Why would you say such things about someone? I know you don't get along with Meckenzie but still…"

Nerissa stepped away from Allen, her face hard. "Because I'm not a very nice person. People don't like me and honestly, I don't care too much for them either. At least Meckenzie has some redeeming qualities to balance out her flaws. I don't know when you'll get it into your head that I'm not someone who you want to be friends with."  
She started to walk away again, but Allen grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"But I do want to be your friend. Back when it was just me and you at the café you listened to me about my problems with my family. You didn't pity me or make fun of me, you listened. No one has ever done that before. All I'm asking is that one day you give me the chance to do the same for you. Yes, you're not easy to get along with, but I do believe you're a good person, Nerissa. You just don't see it yet."

She didn't say anything more to him. He released her and let her walk away. Watching her go, a lot of different feelings stirred inside him. He realised that being with Nerissa wasn't as black and white as he'd originally thought. In fact, none of his recent experiences were as simple as they seemed to be. The test was whether or not he had what it took to surpass the struggles life threw at him.

Allen shook his head, trying to ease his thoughts.

"I think I could give Buddha a run for his money in terms of enlightenment. And this time, I didn't even have to sleep under a tree."

He laughed to himself when the snow started to fall around him, purifying and cleansing the troubled world.

* * *

Later that evening Allen was going over some homework. He stared at it, in no particular mood to do anything about it. It was mostly just an excuse to clear his mind of Nerissa, Meckenzie, Miki, Gast, Kyle and, most of all, Michaela (who was a frequent visitor).

Teen drama sucked. Aaargh, he needed a better distraction.

The phone rang and Allen ignored it. Phone calls in his household were mostly for Annabelle. It was usually Miriam calling, ordering her around. Allen had learnt from experience not to touch the phone when he saw her number pop up on the screen. He had picked up the phone once and got an earful of Miriam, ordering him to practise more. He almost never touched the phone _again._

Annabelle knocked on his open door. He didn't bother closing it much anymore as Riley always barged in anyway whenever she felt like it.

"Allen, dear, it's Michaela on the phone," Annabelle told him. Allen's breath caught in his throat.

"So?" Allen said as breezily as he could manage, "Riley's room is that way."

Annabelle shook her head, blonde hair bouncing.

"No, honey, she says she wants to talk to you."

Hello, blissfully better distraction!

"Oh…"

Trembling, Allen took the phone and stared at its plastic form. Hesitantly, he brought it up to his ear and cleared his throat.

"Um…hello?"

"Hi, Allen!" Michaela almost shouted, her bubbly tone rushing through Allen. "Oh my gosh, I'm such an idiot," she confessed, laughing, "I waved at you even though, obviously, you can't actually see me doing it and I..."

Allen thought he might be in heaven as Michaela babbled on.

"Anyways, where was I?" Michaela said after a moment. "Oh, right. Allen, I wanted to know if you would like to come over this weekend. I found all these wonderful songs we could try out together."

Scratch that previous statement, Allen was most definitely in heaven now.

Michaela was inviting him to her house. Michaela was inviting him to her house.

Was this a _DATE?_

He'd never been on a date before. Would they hold hands? Was he supposed to bring flowers? Did he have to have 'the talk' with Michaela's father?

"Allen, are you there?" Michaela's query snapped him out of his worrying.

"Y-yes. Sorry, just thinking about um, stuff," he muttered.

"So, would you like to come over?"

Would he like to come over? _WOULD HE LIKE TO COME OVER?_

"I-I think I could make it, yeah…"

Allen could practically see her smiling. "Oh, cool! I'll see you then, bye Allen!"

She hung up.

_See you then._

Allen could die.

He sensed a presence at the door. Riley had a grin on her face that would shame the Cheshire Cat himself.

"Guess we won't need 'love guru' Kyle to help you out this time, eh?"

Allen was too happy to kick her out.

* * *

The rest of the week went by in a blur. Allen was too churned up with thoughts of going to Michaela's house to think about much else. Of course, he had been to her house before to make cakes, but Nerissa was with him so that time didn't count.

This time he would be alone. Truly and utterly alone with Michaela.

…could he possibly try to confess his feelings to her again?

When the weekend finally arrived, Allen woke up extremely early. The sun wasn't even up yet, but Allen couldn't get back to sleep. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach and he went to the bathroom about fifteen times before he eventually had a long shower to calm his nerves.

Allen washed his hair thoroughly and then spent a half an hour fiddling with it. Nerissa had instructed him to look after it for the Vocaloids; now Allen wanted to make sure it looked perfect for Michaela. When he finally emerged from the bathroom, Riley was just waking up.

She caught him in the hallway and smirked at him with sleepy eyes. He did his best to ignore her and retreated to his room to sort out his clothes for the day.

Never had Allen thought he would have a dilemma about what to wear. He laid every item of clothing he owned out on his bed. There wasn't much. Half of it was dirty, smelly or a combination of the two. Annabelle had forever told him to pick up his clothes properly and wash them but that hadn't been very important until now.

He finally narrowed it down to a shirt that was relatively clean and a pair of jeans so dark that they hid the dirt. He sprinsed both of them with perfume stolen from Annabelle's room to cover the boy-smell. The scent made him gag, but if Annabelle wore it, it had to be good.

Allen combed through his hair again, still failing to get his fringe just the way he liked it. He tied the rest up in a ponytail and put on his game face.

Riley laughed when she saw his determined expression as he walked past her. He went into the kitchen and to retrieve the present he had gotten for Michaela the other day and stashed under the sink (the best place to hide things from Riley's snooping). Not that it mattered now—she had followed him downstairs and was watching with interest.

In his hands was a small, blue plush rabbit with long ears that trailed down its body. It wore a green bow around its furry neck. Allen had bought it because the ears reminded him of Hatsune Miku's twin-tails and he thought Michaela would appreciate it. Looking at the toy now, Allen wondered if it was the right thing to give her. He'd figured girls liked cuddly toys, but maybe Michaela would laugh at it? It had been dead embarrassing buying it at the store—he'd imagined people staring and whispering. Whatever. At least it was less obvious than the giant bouquet of roses he had originally planned to give her.

He could still feel Riley smirking at him behind his back.

"What?" he said, turning around. He was expecting to see her still in her pyjamas, but she was fully clothed.

"Why are you dressed?" Allen asked, not letting her answer his first question. "Don't tell me you're coming too…"

"Of course not!" Riley laughed. "I just refuse to be alone in the house with _that woman_. I'm going out."

Allen sighed. "Y'know, you could try to get along with Annabelle."

Riley narrowed her eyes like a snake's. "I _could_," she purred, in a tone that made it obvious that she had no intention of interacting with her stepmother. She slammed the door in his face and Allen sighed for the second time, getting back to the matter at hand.

There was no turning back now as it was already mid-morning. He slipped on his coat, tucked the toy rabbit in his pocket and set off. He had rejected Annabelle's offer of a ride to Michaela's house. If he had chosen to take the ride, Annabelle would have spent the whole time burbling about what he could say to Michaela and how much of a darling he looked. No, it was safer to take the bus.

On board the bus, Allen tried to calm down. He must have dozed off at some point because he jerked awake as the bus came to a stop. Allen scrambled to his feet. Jumping down from the bus, he steadied his wobbly legs.

It was a short trek to Michaela's house from there and in no time at all he had arrived. Gulping, he rang the doorbell. He could hear murmuring on the other side of the door and light running footsteps a moment later. The door flew open to reveal Michaela looking impossibly gorgeous in a snow-white cardigan and a pink dress over blue jeans.

"Allen!" she cheered, dragging him inside. "I'm so glad you came!"

He took off his coat as the inside of the house was much warmer than the outside. Sheepishly, he took the rabbit toy out of his coat pocket and handed it to Michaela.

"It's…uh, a present," Allen explained, "for having me over, I mean." He waited for her reaction.

"Oh, Allen!" Michaela squealed, hugging the rabbit close. "It's wonderful, thank you!"

Then without warning, she put her arms around him as if he were a giant plush toy himself.

He froze and all too soon she released him.

Easy there, Allen thought as his heart danced in his ribcage, it was just a hug…

"Come on," she said, taking his hand, "I'll take you to the others."

"…others?" Allen echoed as his stomach dropped.

Michaela led him to her lounge room where Kyle and Meckenzie were lying on separate  
couches. Kyle waved to Allen as he saw him.

Oh.

Those others.

* * *

Twenty minutes Allen had spent sitting in Michaela's living room. In that time, Michaela had gotten everyone settled down with hot chocolate and biscuits. She and Kyle did most of the talking, yabbering on about random subjects. Kyle had memorized several terrible jokes that made Allen cringe and Michaela giggle.

"What do you call a dinosaur that crashed your car?" Kyle started again.

"What?" Michaela asked, happily indulging him.

"Tyrannosaurus _Wrecks_!"

Michaela fell about laughing at that one. Allen heard Meckenzie groan. This didn't dampen Kyle's mood in the slightest.

"What does he say after the accident?"

"What?" Again, Michaela seemed to be eating it up.

"_I'msossaurus_!"

This time, both Allen and Meckenzie groaned.

Meckenzie seemed to be alright for the most part, having had time to recover from Nerissa's slashing. Allen knew she wasn't completely back to normal just yet, but she joined in the conversation every now and then. And she had punched Kyle a couple of times about his punny (not to be mistaken for funny) cracks. So at least that proved she was responding to friendly company.

Allen hadn't had much breakfast so he reached over to grab some more biscuits, leaning past Kyle on the way. As he munched, he couldn't help but see Kyle looking thoughtful. On Kyle, this was a worry.

He tried to ignore it, stuffing his face so he wouldn't have to attempt to talk to the others. He was still gutted that he hadn't gotten the memo that Kyle and Meckenzie would be joining him. He wanted to kick himself for thinking Michaela would actually want to spend time with him alone.

And now he had Kyle leaning over way too close for comfort and…sniffing him?

"What the heck are you doing to poor Allen, Kyle?" Meckenzie asked, nudging him with her foot. He was still staring at Allen, confused.

"He…he smells like rose petals," Kyle said, mystified.

Allen wanted to die all over again.

Meckenzie gave Kyle a slap to the back of the head.

"You dope, leave Allen alone," she said, shaking her head knowingly at Allen. He blushed. She couldn't possibly have known…?

Those thoughts left his mind as now Michaela was crawling over to him and experimentally sniffing him in possibly the cutest way ever. Allen caught a whiff of her own perfume, soft and sweet, just like her.

Michaela pulled away, smiling. "You smell wonderful, Allen!" she said. "Is it the shampoo Nerissa gave you?"

Nerissa had given each of them a different kind of shampoo suited to their hair type.

Allen mumbled something, which couldn't be dignified as an answer and was actually thankful when Kyle came up with a whole new branch of jokes, taking the attention away from him.

The gathering had the same feel as the one the other day at the HQ in that nothing much went on and everyone just talked comfortably about whatever came to mind. Personal humiliation apart, it was nice.

Allen gradually cheered up. It wasn't as if he didn't like Kyle and Meckenzie. Kyle was great, goofy as he was, he never took himself too seriously. Considering his bright blue hair, that was probably a good thing.

He didn't know that much about Meckenzie and most of what he did know (true or not) was what Nerissa had said at the café. Meckenzie wasn't as mysterious as Nerissa, but Allen saw she kept up a tough front for the most part. Allen knew he liked her, especially when she let her motherly side show, like at the café when Michaela had a cold and helped Kyle when he messed up his lyrics at practice and didn't even hit him once.

They were chatting loudly about something or another when Michaela suddenly stood up, to peer out the window.

"What's up?" Meckenzie asked from where she lay on the carpet near Michaela's feet.

Michaela's eyes brightened and she pointed to the window.

"It's snowing!" she said excitedly.

Kyle was instantly on his feet, pressing his face against the window to see.

"It is!" he cried between his squished lips, leaving a smudged impression of them on the  
glass.

"Oooh, I want to go out!" Michaela said, rushing to the door with Kyle hot on her heels. "I love the snow!"

Meckenzie was standing too by now and stopped them in their tracks by grabbing Michaela's wrist and the scruff of Kyle's jumper.

"Hold on you two," she said, not seeming to notice Kyle's vain attempts at escape. "You gotta bundle up first or you'll catch colds. After that we can all play in the snow."

Michaela and Kyle hurriedly complied and raced to grab their boots and coats. Meckenzie shook her head at their eagerness but she was smiling.

Allen sat on the floor, not knowing quite what to do. Meckenzie looked back at him, her warm brown eyes catching his hesitant blue ones.

"Didn't you hear me? When I said 'we' I meant you too."

He blinked, mildly shocked that she had even noticed him.

"Oh, it's fantastic!" Michaela could be heard squealing enthusiastically from outside. "Allen you have to come out and see this!"

Meckenzie gave him a final, unreadable look, before turning on her heel and heading towards the door.

Allen followed her in a heartbeat.

* * *

Outside was a wonderland of white. Allen had been too worked up to notice Michaela's front yard when he came in. Now he saw it was bordered by trees and bushes, every branch being coated by the gently swirling snowflakes so they looked like a Christmas card. The open space by the path to the door, which he vaguely recalled as a stretch of brownish slush, was already buried anew beneath the freshly fallen snow.

Kyle whooped and dove right into the snow as if it were a pool. He lay flat on his back and began to make a snow angel, moving his limbs up and down in pure joy.

Michaela was close by, making the beginnings of a snow man. Meckenzie went over to help her.

Allen stood just to the side of the house, watching them. He hadn't played in snow much since he was little. Really little, when his father and mother were still together. Riley had always shoved snow down his pants and he would waddle off crying to his dad.

He smiled, feeling a little melancholy. He wondered what Riley was up to.

Kyle parted from his snow angel and made an attempt to assist Michaela and Meckenzie. They  
didn't need it as they had sculpted the bottom half already. And there was the fact that Kyle was so clumsy that if they wanted their snowman to see the light of day, he had to stay far away from it. Instead, Meckenzie ordered him to look for rocks and things they could use for his face. Not sure what else to do, Allen followed him.

The snow was pretty thick, so he and Kyle had to dig down to even have a hope of finding something. While they were at work, Allen heard Kyle humming something.

"What are you humming?" Allen asked after it had been going on for a few moments.

Kyle looked up from his digging and gave his goofy grin. "It's a song I found that Michaela could use. It's really cool."

"Oh. Okay…" Allen went back to digging.

"And there's this other song," Kyle continued, "that I thought maybe Meckenzie and me could sing."

"Really? How does it go?"

Kyle looked sheepish. "Ah, I actually can't remember. Guess Meckenzie'll have to help me out again on that."

Allen's fingers found rumpled grass in the midst of the heavy snow. He scrounged through it for anything lumpy.

"That's nice of you."

"Yeah. She's just seemed so gloomy lately. She isn't insulting and whacking me as much anymore."

"And you miss that?" Allen said, astounded. He looked up.

Kyle shrugged, "I dunno. I guess I don't mind her doing stuff like that 'cause she includes and listens to me." He laughed half-heartedly. "People usually think I'm a  
moron."

Allen stared.

"…what about Gast? He doesn't seem to hate you."

"Oh yeah!" Kyle smiled. "Nah, Gast and me are tight. He's put up with me since we were lil' kids. Dunno why though, all I seem to do is annoy him."

Allen let that sink in before he spoke again.

"Well, I know Michaela likes being with you. And the rest of us too of course," Allen added hurriedly. He didn't want Kyle to get the wrong idea. Or in this case , the supposedly right one.

Kyle didn't seem to notice.

"I know," he said warmly. "You guys are awesome. You don't treat me like an idiot. I mean, I know I don't take in as much as most people and I'm not that good with grades and stuff and even worse with drama, but you all and Gast are the only ones who let me be…me. It's been so much fun, being a Vocaloid; where I can be Kaito, instead of dumb ol' Kyle."

Things were quiet as the two boys went on piling up their small finds . Allen had to admit he didn't think about Kyle much. Mostly he just thought of him in connection with Michaela. A rival. Not as a person with his own thoughts and feelings.

"I guess…" Kyle said, "I guess I just want to have fun, ya know? I mean, why do you think we were put on this earth? To learn algebra?"

They both laughed and that's when Allen believed he truly became friends with Kyle.

"Oi, you two! Where's our snowman's face?"

Kyle and Allen exchanged looks, holding back laughter as they ran back to Meckenzie and Michaela.

* * *

The four teenagers stood in front of their lopsided snow creation.

"It looks wonky," Allen said.

"It looks funny!" Kyle added, earning a light kick to the shin, courtesy of Meckenzie.

"It's perfect!" she argued.

The snowman slumped on the spot. The product of their hard work looked nothing like the perfect spherical snowmen shown on television. The thing in front of them was blobby and asymmetrical. It tilted to the left, as if the snowman wanted to tip over and escape back to the snowy ground in peace.

"It just needs something else." Michaela decided, straightening its rock-aligned mouth.

Meckenzie frowned in thought then snapped her fingers. "Got it!"

She turned to Kyle, who looked appropriately wary. A moment later she tackled him and wrestled for his neck.

"GRAAARGH!" Kyle yelped, like he was being strangled. Meckenzie rolled her eyes, unwound his scarf and then wrapped it tenderly around the snowman's pudgy neck.

"There! I gave a scarf to you and now I'm giving one to our snowman."

"It's an improvement," Allen said meekly. Now their miserable snowman was at least suited up for the weather.

Next thing he knew, he had a face full of snow and he hit the ground. He knew a snowball fight when he saw one. Much practice with Riley's unfair games had made him extremely skilled at getting out of the line of fire.

Line of snow was more like it as balls of the stuff were flying back and forth. Meckenzie was pelting everyone and everything in sight and she never missed her target. Michaela took cover behind the disgruntled snowman and tossed a few of her own. She didn't really seem to be hitting anything, but she was giggling, so Allen assumed she was enjoying herself.

Kyle was barely visible as he was the main victim. He stumbled back and forth over the lawn, hands over his head to protect it, showered in white. Sadly for him, Meckenzie wasn't taking any prisoners and continued to cake him with the hard snow that exploded into white powder when in contact.

Kyle clearly stood no chance so, as his new found friend, Allen got in there too.  
He didn't like to brag, but while Riley had almost as much fire power as Meckenzie, Allen had grown to be quite the champion at snowball fights and was pretty damn good at this. Allen ducked behind a tree and let it rip. Meckenzie and Michaela were holding their sides, laughing and groaning.

Kyle took the opportunity to get up and charge Meckenzie while she was distracted. He dragged her down with him, roaring. Even though she was pinned, Meckenzie continued to throw snow at his grinning face.

Michaela ran to her aid, but Allen intercepted her. He held a snowball high above his head and Michaela giggled, revealing she had two behind her back. Forgetting Meckenzie and Kyle, they threw clumps of snow at each other, not even bothering to mould them properly. At last they were breathless.

Stumbling forward, Allen made a move to throw his last snowball; Michaela grabbed his arm, to hold him back. Allen struggled against her grip as he attempted to dump the snow over her beanie, but pushed too hard. They both lost their balance on the slippery ground and went down into the snow in a tangled tumble, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

When his eyes refocused, Allen saw Michaela beneath him. Crystal flakes were caught in her long eyelashes, her soft cheeks flushed and her small delicate lips parted slightly. Her eyes shone a bright turquoise.

She had never looked more beautiful to him. Michaela stared back at him with a wondrous expression that he had never seen her wear before.

Whatever moment Allen and Michaela had shared was over when first Kyle and then Meckenzie jumped on them, squashing them flat.

They were all soaked and shivering. Everyone retreated inside to warm their frozen skin, sharing shaky grins with each other.

Eventually Allen went home, bemused but happy. He felt the beginnings of a cold coming on…

* * *

Gast had finished basketball practice and was walking along the deserted corridors. It was early evening because Coach had made him train overtime. He was frowning slightly, remembering the way Coach had reprimanded him for his footwork.

"This ain't ballet class! Quit sliding around like a fairy ballerina!"

He sighed. Basketball wasn't enjoyable anymore. The rush was almost completely gone. He couldn't play the way his team mates did. He wanted a change. He needed to change himself….

Gast passed one of the school's notice boards. On it was pinned a small, colourful poster.

_Talented performers wanted. Become a Vocaloid today!_

He ripped down the flier, tucking it away in his pants and continued his walk.

Gast had a good idea of where he could start.

* * *

**Why yes, I did just update not amazingly late. Worship me. **

**The snowman in this chapter was inspired by my own traumatizing experience. Being an Australian country bumpkin, we don't get a lot of snow. However when I went to America with my family we made a snowman outside our hotel in the carpark. It is impossible to roll those things so instead we just took a huge mound of snow and shaped it into a sort of lumpy hourglass. We made it a snow****_woman_****instead, with big snow boobs and everything. And we used my mother's scarf as hair. **

**Still America, you lie. )':**

**andyestherewasanobligatoryservantofevilreferencein herethanksfornoticing**

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	16. Chapter 15: The New Arrival

**Diamonds in the Rough takes place in an alternate universe of the Vocaloid community. However, I do not own the characters and am making no profit off them. This is simply for entertainment purposes only.**

**Enjoy!**

**xxxxJewels**

* * *

**The New Arrival**

_He wandered blindly, the harsh winds pushing him back, the heavy snow slowing his steps. Air whistled and howled in his frozen ears. He was hardly moving, but he kept pressing forward, despite the cold, despite the wind, despite everything._

He had to keep moving.

Arms out in front of his face to shield him from the worst of the frosty gale, he walked on and on.

Why? Why was he forcing himself like this? Why did he think he could make it out of this twisted blizzard?

He was just a boy. If he lay down right now and surrendered to the forces of nature, no one would come looking for him. The snow would encase his body until he disappeared. He could be buried beneath a mountain of snow and no one would care.

He was just a boy.

Just a boy who was destined to be lost forever.

He would never be anything special…

But something made him walk, made him push, made him to strive to move forward.

He cracked one eye open and saw a hand, a hand pulling on his wrist.

Pulling him forward…

Who was that? He tried to get a better look, but the snow was too thick and kept flying into his eyes. The hand continued pulling and pulling until…

Light. He saw light. The sun that had been hidden behind the clouds poured its rays down upon him. The wind disappeared and the snow melted away. Sunlight beat down on his back and he felt a smile stretch his lips.

Kind, happy voices beckoned him. On the horizon stood a group of people. Their arms were stretching out towards him; welcoming him.

He broke into a run, laughter erupting from his throat.

And then he was no longer lost.

* * *

Allen rolled out of bed, feeling groggy. He was still recovering from his cold, but Annabelle's thorough treatment had cured him of coughs, sneezes and possibly demonic possessions. The woman certainly went all out to restore her stepson's health.

Riley, the devil, had stayed completely healthy. She'd been wise enough to not get too close while he was a walking mucus membrane.

Allen stripped off the tracksuit that Annabelle made him wear to bed to 'sweat out the flu'. He was boiling from the itchy fabric and was happy to sit in his boxers as the cool air soothed him.

It had been a handful of days since he had seen anyone else, but from Riley's reports, he was the only one who had gotten a cold. He hadn't heard much about what was going on at Vocaloid HQ, but Riley's more and more constant disappearances made Allen figure something was going on.

Now that he actually felt decent enough to get out of his bed, he was eager to get back to work. He didn't want to miss out on too much Vocaloid stuff.

After he showered, he slipped down to breakfast, suddenly ravenous. He had been too sick to eat much lately and was prepared to clear out the entire kitchen if he had to.  
Riley, shockingly, was up and sipping some coffee. He joined her at the table with his cereal and the gigantic glass of orange juice that Annabelle had made him chug down since he had gotten sick.

"Morn'n, my little sicky bro," Riley said. "Don't feel like puking your guts up today?"

"I didn't puke once this week and you know it. And because you didn't ask, I'm feeling much better now, thank you very much."

"Hmm, that's good," Riley said, adding to his banter. "Now you can go see your girlfriend again."

She watched as Allen choked on his cereal.

"Shut up," he muttered, hunched over his meal.

Riley smirked and drained her cup.

"You better hurry. We've got a meeting today."

He looked up.

"We do?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

Riley eyed the clock in the kitchen. "In about half an hour, I think."

Allen jumped out his seat, "What?!"

Riley smiled innocently.

"And we still have to catch the bus that I believe is going to be taking off in about five minutes. You might wanna step on it if you want to get there in time."

Her laugh echoed as he rocketed up the stairs to get ready. He hadn't even zipped up his pants properly when Riley left the house. He had to run halfway down the street to catch up and was huffing and puffing when he reached her. Her cat-like smirk offered no sympathy for his suffering.

The bus pulled into the stop. At least now he would find out what was going on.

* * *

"Posters? _That's_ what you've been doing this whole time?"

"Advertisements," Ms White corrected. "We are letting the town know more about our cause and the chance to be a part of it."

Allen blinked. "What's wrong with the people we have right now?"

"Nothing, Allen," Ms White soothed, "but Miriam and I see no harm in allowing more potential Vocaloids to join. Talent is hidden in many places at first not visible to the eye."

"Where do you get this stuff?" Nerissa jeered, shaking her head.

Allen fiddled with his fringe, unsure of what to think. "When did this start?"

"The other weekend," Ms White explained. "Riley offered to create posters for us and to spread them around town. She said you were busy with another engagement at the time."

That was when he was at Michaela's house thought Allen.

"Is that why you turned down my offer to come over to my house, Riley?" Michaela asked.  
Riley nodded.

"I didn't know you were invited," Allen said. Then again, he had originally thought he was the only one to receive an initiation.

Riley shrugged. "You just weren't listening, nimrod."

"I assumed you knew, Allen," Michaela said.

An awkward pause. Damn, he needed to concentrate more. He'd been so busy panicking over his trip to Michaela's house that he hadn't even listened to anything she was saying at school or practice.

"So…" Kyle started, "where do we go from here?"

Ms White's mouth formed a small smile. "We will be holding auditions at Lloyd Hall in the next few days. Anyone is welcome to try out, once they give basic information and what not."

"Try-outs, huh?" Meckenzie repeated, tasting the words on her tongue. "So what do we do?"

"You will put on a short performance beforehand to show people what it is we're looking for. Miriam, Teto and I will be judging."

Allen looked at the mixed expressions on the faces of his fellow Vocaloids; the ones he had come to know over the past month and a half. What would a new member do to their group?

Allen glanced at Nerissa and then at Meckenzie.

Maybe a new member was exactly what they needed.

* * *

D-Day.

This was it.

Allen felt nervous and he wasn't even auditioning. He had caught a glimpse of a number of people lined up alongside Lloyd Hall. It wasn't a huge line, but it certainly wasn't small either. Riley's posters made it seem as if becoming a Vocaloid would be everyone's breakthrough.

In just a few minutes Ms White would have the hopefuls seated to watch the demonstration mini-show, a short number that the Vocaloids would sing together.

He was dressed in his Vocaloid uniform, peeking out from behind the stage curtains, watching people come in. Nerissa startled him when she suddenly appeared at his side.

"Calm down," she said as he recoiled. She reached for the break between the curtains and took a peep.

"See anything?" Allen asked.

"I see Teto miscalculating the size of her mouth by trying to lodge an entire breadstick down her throat."

He let the queasiness that statement provoked pass and noticed how focused Nerissa looked. Her golden-hazel eyes were hard and unblinking, intently taking in the small crowd.

"Nerissa?" Allen said, one hand hovering indecisively over her shoulder.

"What," she said, flatly.

"What are you looking for, exactly?"

He watched Nerissa's jaw lock. She stepped away from the gap.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Before he had time to question this, Ms White was gathering everyone together.

"Alright everyone, Peaches is about to lift the curtains. Now, I'm going to say a few short words before you perform and by the time I'm done I want you all in position. Don't be too nervous now, alright?"

Nerissa had disappeared, Allen noted disappointedly. He wasn't expecting a big, motivating 'good luck' from her, but the way she scampered off hurt a little.

Michaela gently took hold of his arm and all thoughts of Nerissa vanished.

"Are you excited, Allen?" she said, her eyes glittery like turquoise sparklers.

_DidhejustdescribehereyesasturquoisesparklersohGodh edid._

He managed a grin. "Sure."

"Pipe down, you two," Meckenzie whispered, giving both their heads a soft tap. Allen and Michaela looked at each other and muffled their laughter.

"And now, I present to you―" Ms White half-turned to them, her arms gesturing in the traditional way, "―our Vocaloids!" The curtains went up and Allen sucked in his breath at all the faces staring at him. Two girls a few rows back were giggling and pointing at him.

"Those girls think you're cute, Allen," Michaela said softly out of the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah," Riley added, "they want your banana."

Allen blushed just as the music started playing. Unfortunately he and Riley were the shortest, so the Kagamine twins were front and centre. Hatsune Miku, the fan-favourite was in the middle and Meiko and Kaito held up the back.

The dance steps were simple, which was how Allen liked it. Even though his vocals weren't too bad these days, he still had two left feet most of the time. The focus, of course, was on the singing. They sang most of the number together in harmony, but there were short solo bits to highlight the individual singers. Allen knew everyone noticed how Hatsune Miku got just a little more solo time than the others. She was the one who was best with crowds after all, but even Allen found it grating.

The song came and went pretty quickly. It had worked really well, judging by the applause. It didn't seem to matter that Kyle had stepped on Meckenzie's foot twice and Allen had turned the wrong way at one point. He could feel a bruise forming where Riley had nudged him in the chest with her bony elbow to put him right. Teto gave them a big thumbs up from the judge table, having thoroughly enjoyed their awkward spectacle.

Nerissa returned to slouch on the steps by the stage. Her job was to read out the name of the next person to audition. She couldn't have looked more bored and made no attempt to stifle her yawns.

He couldn't blame her, as some of the people were very droll. No one knew who Leon and Lola were and some of the guys looked as if they didn't possess a single musical bone in their body.

"Wait, I gotta wear _makeup_ and crap?" one of them said, before promptly running out of the hall.

"Why did they even show up here?" Meckenzie asked rhetorically, shaking her head in disbelief as they watched him go.

Allen knew. He had noticed that many of the guys were clutching one of Riley's posters, which featured a picture taken at the cake festival showing Riley, Michaela and Meckenzie dressed as their Vocaloid alter egos. The shot focused on their outfits, each defined skilfully by Teto to accentuate their varying figures.

He growled inwardly.

The platoon of the merely perverted was despatched pretty ruthlessly. Allen thought some of the rest of the auditions seemed decent. He found himself leaning forward anxiously when the nervous-looking ones took the stage, reminded of _his_audition all those weeks ago. He could sympathize completely with their terror and willed them not to break down.

The Vocaloids had set up their own private 'judging table' in the cramped space of the stage wings, where they were hidden from the audience and from the auditioners if they didn't turn their heads.

"She's really pretty," Michaela remarked as a young girl was singing her song.

"Yeah, too bad you gotta look cute and have talent," Riley said, earning a minor whack from Meckenzie.

"I don't mind…" Kyle said dreamily, looking a little too interested in the audition.

Meckenzie pushed him off his haunches before he started salivating.

Allen mostly just watched. He couldn't argue that girl _was_ cute, but she also looked a little too full of herself. And she sang through her nose, something Ms White had said was a huge no-no.

The girl got into a huff when Ms White tried in the most polite way possible to say they weren't interested. The teacher's voice was strained and Allen wondered if dealing with this sort of thing was what gave Ms White grey hair in the first place.

The girl made a big show of crying into her hands and Nerissa had to push her down the stairs before she would go away. When she returned, Nerissa looked grimmer than usual.

"Gast Poid," she read flatly.

Kyle, Michaela and Allen gasped. Riley let out a whistle. Meckenzie looked confused.

And then Gast was there on the stage, just a few feet away from them.

"Hello, Gast," Ms White said warmly. "I have to say I didn't expect to see you today."

"Hello," Gast said evenly.

"Have you prepared some music for us today?"

Gast's dark blue eyes glanced over to Uta who was working the sound system. "Yes."

"Start when you're ready then."

As soon as Uta started up the song, Gast seemed to come alive. Instantly, his feet jumped and tapped onto the wooden platform of the stage. His hips swayed as he danced, his whole body getting into the music. Every step was coordinated and smooth. Hair flipped in his face but even that seemed as if it were planned. The hall was stunned into silence.

Nobody breathed as Gast began to sing in a deep, throaty voice. Deeper than Kyle's and beyond deeper than Allen's. And somehow he could sing and dance simultaneously, and he did it brilliantly. Allen watched on enviously.

When the music stopped, Gast seemed to remember he was the cool, quiet basketball player and promptly straightened up. The bright, blissful expression he had worn when dancing was now back to neutral.

Everyone started clapping, including the Vocaloids, and Gast snapped his head to the unexpected noise from his left. He caught eyes with Kyle and Allen saw his eyes widen just a little.

"_Duuuuude_!" Kyle yelled, running onto stage to tackle his talented friend. Gast barely managed to brace himself for it. "Where'd you learn to swing like that?"

Allen freaked out for a moment that Kyle was still dressed as Kaito, then remembered that Gast knew they were Vocaloids anyway and calmed down. Meckenzie seemed to be connecting the dots too.

Allen stayed where he was, watching Gast wipe away beads of sweat on his forehead and look towards the judges, ignoring Kyle babbling in his ear.

"That was sweet!" Teto said immediately. "You've got my vote, fancy feet!"

"Teto," Miriam barked and the bouncy lady settled down a little. Miriam looked hard at Gast, who bravely managed to stare right back.

Miriam murmured something to Ms White, who was still clapping. The teacher nodded slightly and focused back on Gast.

"Well," she said, resting her elbows forward on the table. "Might I ask that we see you again soon, Gast?"

Gast's head bowed in a formal sort of nod.

"Of course," he said.

* * *

Gast changed the group; for better or worse. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, standing taller than he actually was with steady eyes that always held their gaze. Whatever it was, he radiated maturity and drew respect. Even Riley wasn't quite so teasing to him.

Kyle was obviously extremely elated to have his best friend on the team and talked a mile a minute to him on what they'd done so far. Allen wasn't sure whether Gast was actually listening to Kyle or not as his eyes scanned the room, calmly taking in his surroundings.

They were at Vocaloid HQ, a few days after the auditions. Gast had been the only one to come through, thanks to Miriam's harsh, uncompromising judging.

The place was more crowded than usual as the adult group had come to see the new recruit. Annabelle cooed over him and Primrose was boasting to him about how well she had done in her performances. But Allen doubted Gast was listening. Allen certainly wasn't.

Teto was sketching madly into a ragged, well-used notebook. Allen figured she could only be designing Gast's Vocaloid outfit.

Gast had now been dubbed Kamui Gakupo Gacktpoid, a play on of his real name. It fit him well enough, at least.

Miriam had been quietly observing in a corner with Ms White beside her like a loyal pet. Every now and then her tight, pressed lips moved but Allen had no clue what they were talking about. He honestly didn't really want to know.

Nerissa was the only one who seemed indifferent to Gast's joining. If anything, she just looked more uncomfortable.

Feeling like the odd-one out too, Allen joined her at what he privately called her "sulking wall". It was where she always went when she was feeling anti-social so Allen privately adopted the name. He didn't tell her though; he quite liked his nose where it was at the moment.

"Hey," he said, scooting next to her.

"Hi," she said back, fiddling with her phone. Allen absent-mindedly wondered if it was glued to her hand.

He was quiet for a while, unsure of what to say. Nerissa wasn't that easy to start a conversation with.

"How are you taking this?" Allen vaguely gestured to Gast.

"Exactly how I took the rest of you. I don't care. It doesn't have that much to do with me. He's just another face to put hair and makeup on."

"Oh." Allen didn't know why he felt relief, the knot in his stomach lessening a little. Or  
was it that he did and just didn't want to admit it?

"And you?" Nerissa pressed. Her voice sounded flat and uninterested, but Allen knew she was listening keenly.

He wet his lips.

"I think you already know how I feel."

Both Nerissa and Allen glanced at Gast, surrounded by people―_his friends_―who didn't even notice Allen was there. It hurt a lot more then Allen would've liked.

Nerissa sighed and went back to her phone.

"Welcome to my world."

* * *

Lucy wandered away from the other girls after her last class for the day. They whispered and Lucy blanked them out. She had other things on her mind.

She walked to the gym and saw the basketballers beginning to head out of the boys' changing rooms and go home.

Not here again, Lucy thought, damn.

She stopped one of the boys on his way out. Lucy was tall for her age and his head barely topped hers. She had no trouble gently blocking his escape.

"Excuse me," she said to the still slightly sweaty boy, "I'm looking for Gast Poid. Where is he?"

"Don't you know?" the boy said, looking a little put off by how she nearly towered over him. "He quit a couple of days ago."

"Why?"

"He was doing his fancy-feet business all the time and was freaking the coach out. And he kept on holding and staring at this weird poster thing. It was creepy."

"What poster?"

The boy pointed to the notice board by the door. "That brightly coloured one about some singing shit. Dunno why Gast was looking at it."

Lucy knew that poster. She'd seen it around school and had been mildly interested in what it promoted. Now she was very interested.

The boy was now taking in the girl in front of him. Despite her Amazonian height, she was hot. Dreamy blue eyes, long, slender limbs, more than decent breast-size. Oh yeah. Time to shine.

"So, uh…what do you say me and you―"

"I have to go," she cut in and hurried away after snatching one of the posters off the wall.

The boy sullenly watched her go.

"Dangit, even after he quits the team, the lucky dog is still picking up chicks."

Lucy's eyes raked over the information on the poster, memorising the address and contact details.

It was about time for a reunion.

* * *

**Oh look, its an update. Remember when those happened?**

**Sorry it's a bit shorter than usual, but hopefully it suffices. :)**


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